


The Penitent Man

by MechBull



Series: Baby Mack [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, secondary ship Bobbi/Mack, the character death is not anyone from the main pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:26:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechBull/pseuds/MechBull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It didn’t work.”<br/>“Yeah, well,” Hunter said, lowering his weapon. “He chose bloody poorly.”</p><p>[Sequel to The Well of Urd]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Picking up directly where we left off - no slow burn here, people. You have been warned.

“Just remember you said that,” she warned before kissing him again. 

And then she promptly forgot all her objections as the kiss heated up even more. He placed his left hand on her lower back, pulling her forward and providing a counterbalance to the actions of his right. He pressed harder with his knuckles, tight, fast circles interspersed with little pinches through her underwear that made her whine against his lips. She moved her own hands down, blindly clawing at the buckle of his belt and then his button and zipper, sighing in relief when she finally got her hands on his bare skin. 

Hunter jerked at the contact, bringing his left hand back around to adjust her grip before reaching out and giving the hem of her shirt a little tug. Mack took the hint, pulling away again to give herself room as she yanked her top off. Hunter’s face lit up, and he immediately buried his face in her cleavage.

“I’ve missed these breasts,” he murmured, muffled by her skin.

Mack shouted in laughter even as she lifted her hands to the back of his head so she could hold him there. He mouthed at the flesh just above the cups of her bra, and she leaned back, tilting her hips towards his torso. He seemed to remember what he was supposed to be doing then, and began fondling her again. Her underwear was getting uncomfortably soaked, but she couldn’t bring herself to get away from him long enough to take them off. 

Instead she moved her hands again, pulling at the neck of his shirt. He grabbed it, helping her strip it off him in one smooth movement. It was Mack’s turn to stare appreciatively. She ran her fingers down his chest, nails catching against one nipple before scratching at his abs, just a bit more padding on them than she remembered.

“Six-pack’s seen a few too many six-packs,” he observed, a tiny laugh not doing much to cover up his insecurity.

“You’re gorgeous,” she breathed out. 

She fell forward, mouth opening wide in another passionate kiss and hands returning to his straining cock. She tried to get even closer, but her jeans pulled too tight and the chair was too narrow to spread her knees far enough. Mack growled in frustration, then clumsily stood, wobbling on her unsteady legs. 

He looked at her in confusion for a moment, then seemed to understand when her hands went to the open flaps of her pants and she began to push down her clothes.

“Condom?”

He didn’t respond.

“Hunter, condom?”

He made eye contact, shook his head quickly, then bolted from the chair and around the desk. Mack giggled at his enthusiasm before kicking off her shoes and shimmying her pants and underwear off completely. Then she ran herself, locking the door to the office and turning to face him again. 

He was moving rather frantically, three of four drawers already open and abandoned. But when he glanced up at her, he froze and stared again. Mack realized she was naked except for her bra, and with a smirk, she reached up to unhook and remove that as well. It took Hunter several more seconds to pull his eyes away and begin digging through the last drawer. 

When he whimpered and fell forward, his head burying in his arms on the surface of the desk, Mack felt her heart sink.

“None?”

He shook his head, whining softly.

She struggled for a response, desperation battling responsibility. “OK,” she finally said. “Get over here. We’ll improvise.”

He looked up at her hopefully.

“I don’t need you to come in me,” she pointed out, grinning. “I just need us both to come.”

He didn’t have to be told again, and he pulled her into another kiss as soon as he reached her. The contrast of her bare skin against his rough pants was delightful, but it didn’t feel good enough to slow their momentum. She pushed his pants down, the buckle clanking against the floor as they pooled around his ankles. And then he shuffled, turning them again so he could sit down in the chair, and Mack hurried to climb back on him.

“Wait, wait,” he muttered, grabbing hold of her hips. He turned her away from him and then pulled her onto his lap. “Like this.”

“Oh!” Mack responded, jumping slightly as his fingers immediately began rubbing her clit and stroking through her folds. “Yes, _yes_. Much better angle.”

“Mmm,” he murmured in agreement, his other hand going up to squeeze at her breast even as she reached down and fumbled for the erection poking at her backside and peeking out between her thighs.

She turned her head, meeting him at an odd angle in a tongue-filled kiss. Her free hand moved up, wrapping around his head to pull him closer. His hand began moving even faster, fingers hinting at slipping inside of her, and Mack broke the kiss with a rough gasp. She mouthed his jaw, lips feeling raw from the stubble, and she squirmed in pleasure. He yanked her up closer and higher on his lap, letting her get a slightly better grip on him and making the heel of his palm grind into her. Mack squealed, sounding and feeling a bit like she was in some kind of porn film. 

Probably one that would be targeted towards a particular demographic who wished they too would be jumped by a girl half their age who practically begged them for more and more. She wanted this so bad, it felt almost like it had been a couple decades for her too. Mack smiled, a breathless laugh escaping at the thought. Then she leaned forward until she was practically parallel to the floor. She braced one hand against the desk in front of them, briefly turning her head so her mouth was open against her arm to muffle the sounds she couldn’t control. Then, adjusting her grip on him, she began dragging herself back and forth along the length of his shaft. 

Hunter leaned forward himself, keeping one arm wrapped around her to help support her weight and pulling his other hand away from her to rest it on her ass briefly. Soon, though, he slid it back and down, hinting at her entrance from behind. Mack moaned long and low, then started panting as the orgasm stampeded through her. She lifted her head, her face twisting in voiceless ecstasy. Seconds later, when he followed her over the edge, he made up for her silence, gasping out every possible blasphemous variation of her name, God, yes, holy and fuck, as his release jetted onto her skin.

Several moments later, she found the strength to push off the desk and collapse back against his chest. Her whole body was heaving with her breaths. Once he managed to free his arm from between their bodies, he immediately reached down again to hold his palm almost soothingly over her crotch. Mack licked her lips and swallowed. She looked at him, enjoying the redness of his cheeks and the smile on his face and the way his eyes were closed in bliss. 

“Lance,” she breathed out. 

“Just a second,” he responded, amusement in his voice. “I’m composing my letter to Penthouse.”

Mack barked a laugh, and he opened his eyes and grinned at her. He leaned up a bit, and Mack bent down to meet him in a kiss. Once it ended, he dropped his gaze to where his other hand was still cupped over her breast.

“I have _really_ missed these breasts,” he observed again.

She shook her head in exasperation. “Anything else?”

He slid his hand up to her jaw and tilted her head so they made eye contact. He stared at her for a moment, then added, “I’ve missed everything about you, Mackenzie Leopold.”

Mack sobered. She closed her eyes and exhaled. When she opened them again, she could tell by his expression that he knew something had changed. Mack swallowed. “My name isn’t Mackenzie Leopold.”

Hunter nodded slowly, apparently bracing himself for the delayed explanation. Mack was pretty sure he’d never be able to prepare himself enough for her next statement.

“It’s Mackenzie FitzSimmons.”

The next thing she knew, she was on her hands and knees on the floor, and not in a good way. “Ow,” she muttered.

She looked over her shoulder and stifled a giggle when she saw Hunter clear on the other side of the room, tucking himself in and zipping up his pants and spluttering incoherently. She’d probably feel a little guiltier, maybe a little more upset about his reaction, and definitely more apologetic, if he hadn’t already so obviously revealed his hand about whether he still wanted anything to do with her. She was pretty sure the unfortunate nature of her parentage wouldn’t remain an obstacle for long. 

Mack raised herself to her knees, and then used the desk to pull herself up to her feet. Hmm, the desk.

“How, how, how?” Hunter began, apparently finally finding at least one word in his vocabulary. 

“Time travel is real,” she tossed over her shoulder breezily as she ran one hand over the surface of the desk. Very smooth.

There was a long pause. “We’ll get back to that in a minute,” he said. “FitzSimmons? As in?”

“Mmm,” Mack acknowledged, planting her feet and pushing as hard as she could against the desk. It didn’t budge. 

“I changed your diapers!” he practically yelled.

Mack forgot what she was doing and turned to look at him in skeptical surprise. “You did?”

He seemed to struggle for a bit, then clarified, “I was in the room when someone else changed your diapers.”

Mack smiled at him. “I imagine in a few years, I might be able to say the same.”

“Ha. Ha.”

She turned away, focusing on the desk again. She reached out and grabbed the edge, shaking it as hard as she could. She could feel her boobs jiggling but the desk didn’t wobble at all.

“What the _hell_ are you doing?” he finally asked. 

“Just checking out how sturdy this desk is,” she retorted nonchalantly.

The only response was a very long silence. Mack tried not to smile. 

“Would you put your clothes back on, for God’s sake?” he blurted.

Mack let out an affected sigh, and slowly reached down to grab her top, slipping it over her head without worrying about the bra on the floor by the door or about the possibility of the shirt getting stained from the mess still drying on her stomach. She had a good feeling it wasn’t going to stay on for long anyway. 

“Never thought I’d hear you say those words to me,” she observed. “So I take it this means you don’t want to go another round.”

“No. No more rounds. No. Never again.”

She used her toes to grab her underwear, bending her knee to bring them up to her hand. She pretended she didn’t notice Hunter watching that little display of flexibility.

“You mean you don’t want to spend your golden years nailing a nubile young thing whenever you want to?”

Another long pause, and then Hunter made a noise that sounded like _hnnngh_ as he pressed two fingers against his forehead and walked over to sit in his chair. “I’m gonna have a stroke,” he muttered to himself.

Mack chuckled, stepping around the desk herself and sitting her naked ass down on its surface. She brought one knee up and bent forward, simultaneously revealing her crotch and bunching up her breasts as she slipped her foot through the hole of her underwear. 

Then his phone buzzed, and Mack scowled at the interruption.

“Call from Downing Street,” Hunter’s assistant informed him over the intercom.

Mack looked at him, not at all surprised to see his attention was still on her body. He reached one hand out and blindly pressed a button. “Take a message.”

Mack upped the ante, lifting her other leg towards the underwear. His other hand darted out and stopped her. “And take your lunch,” he added.

Mack grinned as she let the underwear fall back down her leg and onto the floor.

“Want me to grab you anything?”

“I have something to eat here.”

Hunter ended the connection and immediately slid Mack over to the center of the desk right in front of him. She shrieked with laughter as he tugged her closer and threw her legs over his shoulders. And then he stopped moving long enough to concern Mack. She made eye contact with him, and he just shook his head.

“Damn you,” he said, before lowering his mouth to her. 

Mack’s head thunked almost painfully against the surface of the desk as she fell back.

**

Jemma walked into the kitchen, smiling in greeting at Skye and two of her children who were all yawning into their cereal. Sometimes she didn’t know who was still the biggest teenager. Of course her husband was still sound asleep in bed, so he wasn’t much better. But he had a bit of an excuse, Jemma acknowledged with a little smirk to herself. Still, Hydra agents would probably fall all over themselves laughing if they saw the big bad head of S.H.I.E.L.D. in her pajamas decorated with sheep jumping over fences.

“’Kenzie not up yet?” she asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.

Toni shrugged, but Skye just shook her head. “She and Bobbi left at ass o’clock this morning.”

Jemma’s brow furrowed. “Where did they go?”

“Um…” Skye responded, clearly hesitant.

“ _Skye_. Where did they go?”

“I…might have come up with an excuse to send Bobbi to London, and she might have used the opportunity to trick Mack into going with her. Maybe.”

“Why would they go to – ” Jemma broke off with a gasp. “No!”

Skye cringed even as she sent Jemma an innocent smile.

“What?” Toni asked, suddenly wide awake.

“Tell us,” James added. “No fair.”

Jemma looked at her children and struggled for a response. Finally, she said, “Bobbi’s ex-husband lives in London. Mack had…a romantic relationship with him back in the past.”

Skye snorted. “Romantic, she said euphemistically.”

Jemma wasn’t sure if Toni’s or James’ _eeeewww_ was louder. She didn’t really want to think about it, and her stomach was definitely protesting the thought of breakfast now. She waved a hand. “No, no. This is fine. She can tell him, get a little closure, and they’ll have a nice goodbye. Yeah.”

Skye lifted one eyebrow skeptically, and Jemma turned to leave the room.

“Don’t tell Fitz,” she suggested.

**

Mack was sprawled out on the desk, blinking somewhat dazedly at the ceiling and every once in a while letting out a random giggle.

“Sturdy then,” she concluded. “This desk is very sturdy.”

Hunter didn’t respond, and Mack lifted her head to look at him. He was resting his forehead on her inner thigh, puffs of air hitting her still overly sensitive skin as he tried to catch his breath. She smiled affectionately and reached a hand down to slide it through his hair. As soon as she touched him, he looked up, and she was surprised at the pained expression on his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mack’s high crashed immediately. She looked away, unable to hold eye contact. “What was I supposed to say?”

“The truth?”

She scoffed, facing him again. “Even if you believed me, what were you going to do?” Her tone was maybe a little cold and definitely too harsh as she drove home the point. “Watch me grow up, knowing all the different ways we’d been together, wondering if that was the year I’d finally know too, waiting until I’d at least be old enough to – ”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “OK. Stop.”

Mack sighed and stared at the ceiling. “Besides, I couldn’t risk you telling the others.”

He didn’t respond for a long moment, and when he did, she could hear the emotion he was trying to suppress. “I didn’t know what happened to you. I thought…I didn’t know what to think.” He paused. “I couldn’t let you go, not for a long time.”

Mack unexpectedly sobbed, tears flowing instantly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to lea – leave you. I had to – I – ”

He moved quickly, pulling her forward again until she slithered off the desk and back into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, kissed her cheek and murmured soothingly in her ear until she started to calm.

“How long has it been for you?” he asked.

Mack sniffed loudly. “Not long. I got back a week or so ago, and that was, what, a couple months after I…broke up with you. Not long…but too long.”

“Think how I feel then,” he pointed out with a small, if slightly forced, laugh. 

Mack pulled away and placed her hands on his cheeks. She looked him in the eye earnestly, imploringly. “Tell me you’ve been happy. Swear to me you’ve had a good life.” 

“Yeah, happy.” He nodded. “I’ve done a lot of good, had a lot of fun. It’s been…a little lonely, maybe.”

“You’ve never…found anyone?”

He shrugged.

“But you’ve – you’ve been with other women. You _have_ been with – ”

He cut her off with a look. Mack felt relieved yet irrationally jealous.

“ _How_ many?”

He leveled another look at her. “Twenty-five years, Mack.”

She gave a quick, dismissive nod, trying to pretend it didn’t bother her because it was silly that it did. Silly. “Right. Fair enough.”

He stared at her for a while, then smiled almost bashfully as he ducked his head. “Some of them were sort of serious but most…none of them were…I never – after you…” He looked up at her and shrugged again.

“I’m so sorry, Lance,” Mack repeated.

There was another long pause. The regret and confusion, the longing and hope, seemed to permeate the room. 

“Now what?” Mack whispered.

After a beat, Hunter asked, “Want a tour of the Palace?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He sighed. “It’s the only answer I have right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actively writing this one but still have many chapters to go, so I'm going to once again attempt a posting schedule of once a week. I think we all know I won't be able to stick to that, though.


	2. Chapter 2

Bobbi made three laps around the Palace, stopping to talk with everyone she knew to kill as much time as possible. She figured Hunter and Mack had a lot to say to each other and would appreciate the privacy but there was only so much chit-chat she could stand. She sighed and looked at the clock on her phone, then nearly dropped it when it rang in her hands.

“Skye? What’s up?”

“Hey. So…Simmons knows.”

“Hmm. How long did it take her to figure it out?”

“Like…seconds.”

Bobbi laughed and shook her head. “You are the worst spy. Jemma – _Jemma_ – took seconds to get that intel out of you, are you kidding me? How did you manage to get appointed head of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Hey!”

“Fitz know?”

“Not yet, I don’t think.”

Bobbi looked around the hall and inhaled deeply. 

“Is there even anything for them _to_ know?” Skye asked. 

Bobbi shrugged. “Not sure yet. I’ll tell you when I am.”

“’Kay. Have fun on your vacation. Wish I was with you.”

“You should be. You deserve a vacation too.”

“Eh. Someday.”

“More to life than just work,” Bobbi reminded her cheerfully.

“This coming from you!”

Bobbi laughed even as she tilted her head in acknowledgment, then she hung up the phone. Pocketing it, she began to walk back towards Hunter’s office. She was too bored to wait any longer, and London shops were calling her name. She just hoped they had said all they needed to, and she didn’t come back in the middle of an awkward scene.

There was no sign of life when she arrived at the office, however, so Bobbi went searching. She finally found them outside the Palace’s science lab, which seemed fitting in a way. She was about to call out to them when she saw it. Bobbi slowed her pace and narrowed her eyes as she began to register the details. 

It was subtle, and to anyone else it might have even gone unnoticed. But she was an expert in these sorts of things, and it practically screamed at her. Mack’s hair was a bit messier than it had been, and Hunter’s face looked exhausted but much less stressed than it normally did. Both their clothes were wrinkly, like they’d been discarded in piles on the floor and then tugged back on. The skin around Mack’s mouth, on her neck and on the part of her chest Bobbi could see through the neckline of her shirt was red, like stubble had been scraping all over it. And most glaring of all, of course, was Hunter’s hand on her lower back. Sure, at first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a polite gesture, a guiding hand to direct the outsider on a tour of the Palace. But Bobbi could see the tiny twitches as his thumb stroked at the thin line of skin revealed between Mack’s top and pants. She could see the way the tips of his fingers were pointed down, sneaking towards the swell of her ass. She could see how the physical contact wasn’t just to guide her but to pull her closer. 

Bobbi’s eyebrows raised in – well, not surprise, exactly. She knew Hunter well enough not to be surprised, and it would have been mere days to Mack since she had to leave the man she loved. Still, they had moved awfully quick, and Bobbi hoped it didn’t come back to bite them. 

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Skye: _Definitely something happening here._

The response was almost immediate. _Yikes, FitzSimmons are gonna kill us._

Bobbi snorted in agreement, returned her phone to her pocket, and walked closer to the other two. She was practically right next to them before they noticed her. It was one thing for Mack to be so unaware of her surroundings; even with the training May and Bobbi had insisted on giving all the kids to be safe, it wasn’t like Mack had to call on that training very frequently. But Hunter had no excuse. Bobbi smirked to herself. She was well aware how absent-minded he could be after an orgasm. 

“Hey.”

Mack smiled at her, somewhat bashfully and – Bobbi would never admit how happy she was to see it – rather serenely. “Hi Bobbi. Time to go?”

“’Fraid so. Daylight’s burning.”

“How long will you be in town?” Hunter asked.

Bobbi shrugged. “Heading out late Saturday probably, so I can get this one back for class.”

He looked at Mack then. “ _Class?_ ”

“I teach at the Academy,” she explained, grinning. “I guess we’ve got a lot to learn about each other.”

“Yeah,” he agreed softly, not looking away from her. Bobbi rolled her eyes and surreptitiously checked her watch.

“So…ready?”

“Uh-huh,” Mack said. 

Bobbi would have believed her more if she had torn her gaze away from Hunter at all. “Lance, you can join us for dinner tonight, if you want.”

He glanced over at her, then back at Mack. “Yeah, sounds great.”

“Great. Let’s go.”

“Right,” Mack acknowledged before making a face. “Oh, I want to, um, get cleaned up a bit. From the trip. I – bathroom?”

Yeah, Bobbi thought. From the trip.

Hunter pointed down the hall, far too smugly. Bobbi tried not to throw up in her mouth. As soon as Mack was far enough away, Hunter focused his attention back on her, and Bobbi raised an eloquent eyebrow.

“Really? _Really?_ ”

Hunter just shrugged unapologetically. 

“Fitz is gonna kill you.”

He scoffed. “I can take Fitz.” And after a beat, he added, “It’s Simmons I’m worried about.”

Well, Bobbi thought, apparently he wasn’t as stupid as he looked.

**

_“You’re really going?”_

_“Yeah,” Hunter nodded. “Yeah, I am.”_

_Simmons shot him a wobbly smile, yet seemed almost as surprised as he was that she was getting so upset. Must be the hormones._

_“Hey, you don’t even like me, remember?”_

_“I don’t_ dislike _you.”_

_“You just think I’m a bad influence on your husband.”_

_Simmons unexpectedly barked a laugh, and Hunter grinned in response. Then he stood up. His plane was leaving soon. Time to go. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned over and gave Simmons a quick hug and peck to the cheek._

_“Take care.”_

_“You too. Keep in touch.”_

_He nodded, doubtful that between S.H.I.E.L.D.’s and S.T.R.I.K.E.’s responsibilities, they’d manage much more than the occasional phone call. Then he glanced at the infant in her arms, perched on her hip at an odd angle due to the bump of the second one already on its way. Jesus, Fitz deserved a couple beers now and again and Hunter wasn’t going to apologize for that. “Take care of those kids too.”_

_She made little Mack wave her pudgy, sticky hand at him, and he forced a smile. Granted, he didn’t have much experience with rugrats, but man, that kid still kind of weirded him out a bit. Maybe it would be different if it was his own sprog, but he kind of doubted that. It was probably a good thing he and Bobbi never got to that stage. He wondered sometimes if he’d ever reach that stage with anyone. He thought once, maybe, that he could have with…but no. She was gone. Wherever she disappeared to, she apparently was never coming back._

_He shook his head quickly to clear it of his thoughts. He smiled one more time at Simmons, then headed towards the door. All of his goodbyes were said; time for a new chapter, one he still couldn’t quite believe he had agreed to. Just as he stepped through the door, however, he heard his name._

_Bobbi was leaning against the frame of the door across the room, leading back into the Playground. He offered her a small smile._

_“Don’t die out there, OK?”_

_Hunter saluted. “You neither, Bob.”_

**

By Saturday, Mack knew that, while she still wasn’t sure what was in store for the future, she definitely wanted there to be a future. Bobbi had – presumably unintentionally – become something of a genteel chaperone and so Mack and Hunter hadn’t had much alone time after that first day, but he had also taken time off from work to show them all around London. And when Bobbi wasn’t looking, he’d give her little smiles, or run his hand down her arm, or if she was lucky, steal a quick kiss.

But too soon, it was time. She needed to go home. Bobbi was already in the cockpit, doing pre-flight checks, and Mack and Hunter stood just by the ramp, holding hands and each other’s gaze. Mack’s lip trembled a bit, she was ashamed to admit. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye again already. 

Hunter responded by dropping her hands and placing his own on both her cheeks. He held her still as he leaned in and planted a big kiss right on her lips. It was far too soon when he pulled away again and rested his forehead against hers. She wondered if he remembered that day, so long ago for him, when they had stood just like this, saying a different goodbye, albeit unbeknownst to him.

“Lance,” she began, her voice cracking from the emotion of all the things she wanted to say to him.

“Hey, don’t – this isn’t it, OK? We’ll talk to each other all the time, and you would not believe how many excuses I can come up with for the director of S.T.R.I.K.E. to go over to the States, and well, we’ll figure it out.”

“Really?”

“You think I’m gonna let you get away again?”

Mack smiled, moving her arms up quickly to wrap them around his neck. She pulled him into another kiss, passionate but short, and then she forced herself to let him go. She ran up the loading ramp of the plane, not allowing herself to look back. She took her seat next to Bobbi and then quickly faced away as she wiped at her eyes.

“Oh God,” Bobbi scoffed, clearly hiding amusement. “You aren’t seriously crying over _Lance Hunter_.”

Mack’s response was something between a snicker and a sniffle, and she smiled over at Bobbi. “Thank you,” she said, as sincerely as possible.

“Just…if your parents ask, I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

Mack’s smile dropped off her face and she stared out the cockpit window. Oh God. Her parents.

**

Jemma lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. She listened for just a moment to confirm she had heard what she thought she had. A plane landing. Bobbi and Mack were back. She glanced over at Fitz. Poor, clueless Fitz who had been told they went to New York for a few days before the new session at the Academy. Jemma could count on one hand the number of times she had lied to Fitz since they had figured themselves out after Hydra and the pod and those horrible, horrible months of separation. And even then, they were little white lies. Not like this.

But – but – for all she knew, there was nothing to worry about. 

The only thing keeping her sane was the desperate hope that there was nothing to worry about. 

And that hope was dashed when Mack walked into the lab only a few minutes later. She looked scared and determined, and yet happy in an understated way, and Jemma began cataloguing the different poisons she had in the lab. God damn him and his penis and his belated midlife crisis. 

“Hey sweetie,” Fitz said, apparently not noticing the conflicted expression on Mack’s face or the murder-plotting one on Jemma’s. “How was New York?”

Mack’s eyebrows furrowed and she seemed to lose momentum. “New York?”

“New York,” Jemma interrupted as fast as she could. “Where you and Bobbi have been the last couple days, silly.”

Fitz looked back and forth between them. “OK,” he said. “Where have you really been?”

Mack struggled for a response, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly, and Jemma switched her attention to identifying the first aid materials at her disposal. There was the defibrillator, of course, and the scanners down the hall if he lost consciousness and hit his head on something. 

It turned out Mack didn’t need to say anything. After several seconds of awkward silence, Jemma could see clearly the very moment the figurative lightbulb went on over Fitz’ head. His face paled and he stared at his daughter in horror. Moments later, he looked at Jemma, and the betrayed expression on his face was painful to see. And then he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

Mack turned to Jemma, who was already pulling off her lab coat and gloves. 

“Mom?”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Jemma informed her, before running out of the lab after her husband. 

He was already quite far away by the time she caught up with him and he seemed incredibly focused. Jemma wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to fly a plane to London himself.

“Fitz. Fitz.”

He glanced at her, still clearly angry. “I can’t believe you knew and didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t know!” His expression turned disdainfully skeptical. “Not…really,” she allowed. “Not until it was too late, anyway. Besides, I didn’t know if he – if they – if – ”

Fitz laughed scathingly. “Our beloved daughter has never made the best romantic choices, and if you didn’t think he’d take advantage of the situation, you don’t know all that much about him. Or men, for that matter.”

Jemma fought the bile that came up her throat at the thought. Swallowing with a grimace, she hurried in front of him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she forced him to stop.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m gonna go over there and give him a piece of my mind.”

Jemma sighed. “I want to, too, but – ”

“But nothing. He needs to be reminded that someone needs to be an adult in this situation.”

“ _I’m_ an adult.”

Jemma looked up in surprise, and Fitz turned to face Mack. Her defiant expression was all too familiar. How many times had Jemma and Mack argued over the years, she wondered. She almost wished it was another disagreement over whether Mack could become a field agent. She’d probably give in, to be honest, if it meant – 

“I love him,” Mack said simply.

“You can’t be with him,” Fitz responded, his voice firm. “I forbid it.”

“I’m 25 years old!”

“My point exactly!” Fitz yelled. Jemma reached out to put a calming hand on his arm.

Mack opened her mouth to respond, breathing in deeply. And then she just stopped. She gave them a small, pained smile and stepped closer. Wrapping her arms around their shoulders, she pulled both of them into a rather stiff hug.

“I love you,” Mack whispered, fighting tears. “I love you so much, and I just got you back. I won’t lose you over this.”

Fitz seemed to relax for all of a moment before Mack continued. 

“But I refuse to lose him too. So, be mad. Be as upset as you want, and then _get over it_.”


	3. Chapter 3

_Jemma inhaled deeply as she admired the sight in front of her. It was just empirical fact that her husband was hot, and that was before you got him in tac gear holding a baby. She pressed her lips together and then stepped farther into the nursery._

_“How was the mission?”_

_He startled slightly, then turned to face her. He shook his head dismissively. “Fine. Textbook.”_

_“Good. Put her to bed.”_

_He smiled down at Mack, conked out to the world. Jemma could only hope she stayed that way for a while longer. “In a minute,” he murmured._

_“Fitz,” Jemma said, rather demandingly. She leaned back against the door and cocked her leg out a bit so the fabric of her nightgown rode up. “Put her to bed. Then come put me to bed.”_

_He moved so quickly, she had to remind him to be careful. The last thing they needed right now was Mack waking up. And then she turned, heading into their adjoining room. He was right behind her, and he twisted to close the connecting door. As soon as he faced her, Jemma pounced, jumping into his arms._

_“Mmmph, mmph,_ mmph _.”_

_His protests were rather muffled, and the world swayed dangerously for a few moments. Eventually he caught his balance and wrapped his arms tighter underneath her bottom to hold her, which he managed to do just long enough to propel them over to the bed. He lowered her down quickly but carefully, depositing her on the bed like she was breakable, and Jemma tried not to feel disappointed._

_Fitz stood, hands going to the Velcro straps of his vest, and Jemma bolted back to a seated position. She reached her hands out, grabbing onto his own before he could remove the vest._

_“Leave it on.”_

_“Huh?”_

_Jemma grinned mischievously. “Leave it on,” she repeated, then dropped her hands down to his belt buckle. She undid it quickly, and his button and zipper even quicker, and then she pulled him onto the bed._

_“Jemma,” he muttered, somewhere between aroused and hesitant. “Are you…sure you want to do this? You’ve been so sick all the time – ”_

_“I’m sure,” she gritted out, her concentration far too focused on trying to get his pants down. “So sure. I think that’s all past now, anyway.”_

_“OK,” he agreed, clearly not feeling too obligated to put up much more of a protest._

_He crawled up the mattress, right in between her legs. Yes, perfect, Jemma thought, even as she spread her thighs a little wider and tilted her pelvis up in encouragement. He didn’t seem very keen to get started, though. Instead, he leaned to the side a bit, giving her more wiggle room as it were, and he began to run his tongue and lips along her jaw. The fingers of one hand pressed softly into her side and his other hand cradled her head. It was all very sweet and romantic._

_And not at all what Jemma wanted. She opened her eyes and sighed at the ceiling. “Fitz,” she whispered urgently._

_“Mmm, Jemma.”_

_She shook her head. “Can you – Fitz, please. I want – please.”_

_“I want it too,” he said, the growl in his voice not nearly as primal as Jemma wished it was._

_“No, Fitz, I – ”_

_He pulled back immediately and Jemma sighed._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_She lifted her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes quickly. “It’s just – I – remember that I said I didn’t want Aggressive Fitz all the time? That doesn’t mean I never want him.”_

_It took him a moment and then “Oh!” He looked adorably, annoyingly confused. “What – what do you want me to do?”_

_Jemma exhaled loudly, tilting her head back onto the pillow. “If I_ tell _you, it defeats the purpose.”_

_“Um…OK,” he said._

_After a moment’s hesitation, he slid closer to her again, moving one hand to her hip and pulling her tight. For one brief, glorious moment, Jemma was sure he was about to –_

_“What about the baby?”_

_“You cannot hurt the baby. Trust me.”_

_“I don’t want to hurt you either.”_

_By that point, pretty much all of Jemma’s libidinous feelings were gone, replaced with some weird, hormonal combination of hurt, anger, frustration and a sort of humiliation. She pushed Fitz off her and rolled off the bed._

_“Just – never mind,” she said, fighting the tears long enough until she made it into the bathroom._

_She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, in almost the exact location she had spent so many of the last few days. She wasn’t even showing yet, but this one had made itself known very early in life. It was particularly galling that she was sitting on that tile again, when her body finally wanted to do something besides turn itself inside out._

_It wasn’t long before Fitz came into the room. Jemma inhaled a shuddering breath and looked off to the side as he sat next to her._

_“I feel like we should put some comfy chairs in here,” he observed._

_She smiled against her will, but it was a little wobbly. And then she leaned her head against his shoulder. Turning to her, he kissed her forehead._

_“I’m sorry,” he said._

_“Me too.”_

_He paused briefly. “What – why are you sorry?”_

_“I don’t know. Because I’m going crazy.”_

_She could feel the stretch of his smile from where his lips still touched her forehead. “No, you’re not; you’re just pregnant.”_

_She didn’t reply, and after a moment, he began to speak quietly and slowly. “I…you know that I haven’t been with, um, well, all that many people. I’m…” He sighed. “I’m sorry if I’m not g – good enough or if you want something…else. Something better. Something – I can’t give you – or – ”_

_“I want_ you _, Fitz. And it’s so good with you. So good. I just want – I want – I don’t know what I want.”_

_Fitz licked his lips, his tongue darting against the skin of Jemma’s forehead. “You wanted me to…to be – aggressive?”_

_Jemma exhaled, and reached a hand up to wipe at her eye. “No. Yes. I – Fitz, that first time, there was so much…passion. Like you couldn’t resist or hold back, you just wanted me so much. And it’s been amazing, really, but it hasn’t been like_ that _since then. We never really had the chance to be wild and crazy and – except for that first time, we’ve only ever been together as married parents. And I’m – I’m worried that you don’t see me that way anymore. That you won’t ever feel that way again.”_

_“Jemma,” he responded, shaking his head and speaking in a firm tone. “Of course I feel that way. I want you more now than ever. But…you’re my wife. The mother of my child, and another one on the way. I – the truth is, I hated how I felt after that first time. It was like I had been out of control, like all I cared about was… I don’t want to hurt you, or disrespect you. I love you. I want to show that to you.”_

_“I know you love me; you show me that every day in so many ways. And I want you to continue respecting me,” Jemma assured him. She fought a little smile, pausing for effect. “I want you to respect the hell out of me. I want you to respect me so hard I can’t walk straight for three days.”_

_Fitz cleared his throat, sounding a little embarrassed, and Jemma ducked her head against his shoulder to hide her own blush._

_“Maybe,” he eventually said, “we can use…a code, or something. So you can tell me what you want without having to…um, ruin it by telling me.”_

_“OK,” Jemma agreed, feeling much happier. “And you can have a code to say no, if you’re not feeling it.”_

_He nodded. “Yeah, ‘cause…I want to just make love to you sometimes.”_

_Jemma tilted her head up and kissed his cheek. “You big, romantic sap,” she murmured, and he shrugged. She continued, “It’s always making love when it’s us. No matter if there’s candlelight or swinging from the chandeliers.”_

_Fitz laughed out loud at that. “Fair enough,” he agreed. “Then I mean I want the candlelight sometimes.”_

_“So do I,” Jemma promised. She felt much more relaxed when Fitz smiled, though a little more intrigued when the smile grew wider._

_“And I want the chandeliers sometimes, too,” he added._

_Jemma smiled wickedly. “So do I,” she repeated. She kissed his cheek again before leaning in even closer and pulling his earlobe between her incisors. She growled softly._

_“Would now be one of those times?” Fitz asked breathlessly._

_She barely started nodding before he was jumping to his feet, and reaching a hand out to pull her up. Jemma snuck past him, trying to stifle her giggles, as she felt him on her heels again. This time she landed on the bed with a bit of a bounce and he landed right on top of her, almost in a tackle. He kissed her immediately, all tongue and teeth, separating just long enough to yank her nightgown up and over her head. She fell back onto the pillow once it was clear, her hair fanning out around her. She grinned as Fitz knelt. He moved his hands to his pants and Jemma tsked at him when she realized he had zipped back up. He smiled at the noise, pushing his pants down immediately. And then he reached out to her, grabbing one thigh and pulling it not-so-gently until it crossed over her other leg and she was twisted across the mattress._

_“Oh God,” she sighed, turning her head even further and letting her hand slide out across the cool sheet._

_She hissed and then moaned when Fitz’ hand dropped lower and he began to fondle her. He didn’t indulge either one of them for long, though, and soon his hand was pulling away and the rough texture of his vest was grating against her bare skin and the tip of his cock was lining up and just ever so slightly poking in._

_“Yes,” Jemma whispered urgently. “Yes, do it, do – ”_

_Her eyes opened wide at the sudden wrenching twist of nausea. What. No. Her whole body convulsed, seizing up as muscles contracted and protested._

_“No,” she gasped out, half whine and half warning. “No, oh no.”_

_“Jem – ”_

_She didn’t let him finish before she pushed him off her once again and raced back into the bathroom. She fell to her knees in front of the toilet just in time, as she retched violently and futilely, considering how empty her stomach was. It was several moments of gagging up bile before Fitz came into the room. She heard him sigh as he gathered up her hair and pulled it back, leaning forward to kiss the back of her neck._

_“You know,” he murmured. “You’ve now run out of the room during sex two times. So I think that means you don’t get to use that one time against me anymore.”_

_Jemma scoffed. She’ll be using that one against him for the rest of their lives, if she wanted to._

_“Will you please,” he continued, changing the subject, “speak with Dr. Turner tomorrow about all this puking? I don’t think this is normal.”_

_She nodded miserably. And then little sobs came from the other room. Fitz sighed, carefully laid her hair down and stood._

_“There’s our other little cockblock,” he observed._

_“Don’t make me laugh,” Jemma scolded. “It will just make me heave again.”_

**

“I’m gonna puke.”

Jemma nodded in agreement.

“Mack. Our Mack, our little girl, and…him.”

“Mm-hmm.”

After a brief moment of silence, Fitz shuddered violently. Jemma sighed, reaching a hand out to rest it on his chest. Even having a couple extra days to prepare herself for the worst didn’t make it much better, but at least she was a few more steps down the processing path than he was. 

Fitz groaned softly, lifting his hands to his face. “Do you know how many times I _heard_ them?!”

It was Jemma’s turn to shudder, and she felt particularly grateful that she had been such a sound sleeper back then. Mack had only started keeping her up all night when she was a baby. 

“I _teased_ her once about it,” he continued, his voice filled with horror as he remembered.

“It’s worse,” Jemma reminded him. “I encouraged her. I tried to get her to admit it was more than just…than just…”

“ _Sex_.”

“Yes.”

“So, really. This is all your fault.”

Jemma smacked his torso half-heartedly. Fitz sighed.

“What are we going to do?”

She shook her head. 

“I know Coulson would help me set some kind of safe house up.”

“Fitz,” Jemma scolded. “We can’t lock her up like Rapunzel.”

“Why not?”

“Because she – because I won’t lose her over this.”

Fitz scowled, then nodded in understanding. “No. I don’t want to, either.” After a beat, he added. “We could still go after Hunter, though.”

Jemma smiled weakly. “I’m not sure starting an international crisis by attacking the director of S.T.R.I.K.E. is the smartest move.”

“I’m sure you can come up with something untraceable.”

She tilted her head and nodded in acknowledgment. The thought _had_ occurred to her. And then she shook her head. “I still don’t understand what _he_ is thinking.”

Fitz laughed derisively. “He’s thinking she’s 25 years old. I don’t know too many guys who would turn that down.”

Jemma propped herself up on her elbow, essentially forgetting what they were supposed to be talking about as she fixed him with a very firm stare.

“Would you?”

Fitz’ eyes widened, deer in the headlight style, and he seemed speechless. “Hmm?” he finally managed.

“Some nubile young prodigy with perky breasts and no stretch marks starts working in the lab, all in awe of the famous Leo Fitz? Giving you eyes and _oh my, Dr. Fitz, that’s so brilliant, I wish you’d teach me everything you know_? You wouldn’t consider it?”

“No?”

“Is that a question?”

“No!”

Jemma grinned, unable to keep the act up much longer. She dropped back down, curling around his body perfectly, almost like she had worn a Jemma-shaped groove in it over all these years. “Better not,” she murmured.

“God, I can’t even keep up with you.”

She tilted her head up to smile at him, feeling like the conversation had taken a very unexpected but not at all unwelcome turn. Flirting with him was far preferable than their previous topic. She slid her hand across his chest, letting it slow to a stop over his opposite pec. 

“You say that now,” she pointed out in her best seductive tone. “But how would you feel if I said…silverback?”

He stared down at her, his lips twitching as he fought a smile. “Haven’t used those codes in years,” he pointed out. “Know each other too well now, I guess.”

“Know each other very, very well,” Jemma agreed, sliding her knee up towards his crotch. “Know every way to touch each other. Know just what I like and how to make me shout your name.” 

Fitz moved quickly then, wrapping his arms around her and pushing her to her back. He kissed her urgently, his tongue pulsing into her mouth and his hands sliding along her body until they reached her thighs. He broke the kiss and moved his lips to her neck.

“For the record,” he informed her, somewhat difficult to understand considering his multitasking. “I love your stretch marks, and your breasts are perfect, perky or not.”

Jemma’s peals of laughter rang through their room, and she pulled him even closer. They’d figure out the Mack problem later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, seriously. Last update for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Mack walked into the kitchen in search of snacks. She had been so busy since she and Bobbi had returned, dealing with her parents’ freak-out, then repacking for the Academy. She hadn’t eaten any sort of real meal, and her body still had no clue what time it was. Needless to say, she was not feeling particularly in a gossipy mood.

But she realized she would have to be, because both Toni and James were in there, and they looked at her with expectant nosiness. So, great. They had heard some rumors, at least.

“How was your trip?” Toni asked with almost-innocent curiosity.

“Fine.”

“Do anything fun?” James added, lifting his mug with both hands and sipping calmly.

“You know. Shopping and pubs and things.”

Toni sighed loudly. “C’mon, Mack. Mom told us you had a thing with Bobbi’s ex back in the day.”

Mack shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. She poured herself a mug of tea and went digging through the cupboards for cookies. She took the package over to the table and sat down to join the others.

“Yeah. I did,” she finally answered.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Did you see him? Did you talk to him?” Toni all but shouted. 

James looked back and forth between them, an amused expression on his face and wheels clearly turning. Mack was afraid he had a sequel to his novel already starting to form in his brain. She sighed.

“Yes. I was able to explain things to him, sort of, and we…caught up.”

Toni’s eyes widened. Apparently Mack’s tone had not been as casual as she’d hoped.

“Oh my God.”

“What?” James asked.

Mack tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh my _God_ ,” Toni said again. 

“ _What?_ ” James repeated, exasperated.

“You slept with him!”

Both Toni and James stared at her, aghast. Mack shrugged in confirmation. They were both silent for a long beat, then looked at each other.

“Ewww,” they said simultaneously.

“He’s gotta be so old,” Toni added with a little shudder.

Mack smirked and took a sip of her tea. “Like a fine wine.”

“Are you gonna keep seeing him?” Toni asked, incredulous.

“I want to. We haven’t worked out the logistics yet.”

James chuckled and lifted a hand to wipe at his eye. “Mom and Dad must be happy about that.”

Mack closed her eyes and shook her head. 

“Well, can you _blame_ them?”

“They’ve never approved of my relationship choices.”

Toni scoffed, half-teasing. “Well, not everyone jumps into bed with their aunt’s ex five minutes after essentially meeting him, ya slut.”

Mack shot her a slightly annoyed sneer. “It was on a desk, not a bed, bitch.”

“Ah,” James interjected. “The demure tones of my ladylike sisters.”

“Shut up, runt,” Toni and Mack said at the same time, before they both started laughing.

“Besides,” Mack said, once she calmed. “Not everyone needs ten years, brain damage and an unintended pregnancy to decide to be together.”

There was a noticeable pause.

“Wait…” Toni began, even as James asked, “What?”

Mack felt a bit trapped, internally scolding herself for not being more careful. “…Nothing,” she finally said.

“What?!” they both blurted. 

“ _Nothing_. I didn’t say anything.”

Toni and James made eye contact, and then they both cackled in delight at the unexpected gossip.

“Mom – _you were all planned_ – and Dad – _a condom every time, you hear me. Every time._ – got knocked up?” James managed to ask.

Mack sighed.

“Well,” Toni pointed out, grinning. “At least Dad knows of what he speaks. Mom’s just a big fat liar.” 

Mack groaned, leaning forward and putting her face in her hands. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

After several more minutes of chuckling and mocking their parents, they eventually sobered. James looked at Mack with a serious expression.

“You...love him? He makes you happy?”

Mack pressed her lips together and nodded. She held her breath as her siblings glanced at each other.

“OK,” Toni said. 

“Still gonna probably make lots of age jokes,” James warned. 

Mack grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

**

“It’s strange,” Mack said into the phone with a little sigh. “I can remember leaving the Academy only a week or so ago, and I know exactly what I had planned for Monday’s lecture. But I can also remember spending the last year or so here at the Playground, being a part of the team, really playing a role in S.H.I.E.L.D. for once. Both of them seem so real, and I don’t know where I fit anymore.”

“Do you like teaching?” Lance asked.

She paused, thinking. “I do. I really do. I love it. And I love doing research. But…”

“But?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a field agent, and combine the science and the adventure like my parents. I only started teaching because they’re all so overprotective of me and won’t let me go on any missions.”

“Hmm,” Lance replied. “I don’t blame them. The thought of something happening to you…”

Mack smiled, a part of her finding his concern romantic. The rest of her found it frustrating. “Not you too. I had hoped you’d be on my side.”

He chuckled. “So, it sounds like you do know where you fit; you just need to convince everyone else.”

“I guess.” She sighed. “Nothing’s going to change by Monday though, so I suppose I have to go back for a while. It’ll be fun to have Toni there for the new session, at least. ”

“You know what else might be fun?”

Mack bit her lip to stop her grin. There was a tantalizing tone of innuendo in that question. “Hmm?”

“I’ve never been to the Academy. I could maybe come visit in a few weeks, once you’re settled and ready for guests.”

Her grin burst out full force. It had not been the suggestion she was expecting, but it was so much better. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m working hard to clear off my desk. As long as no international crisis rears up…”

Mack reached out, stretching her hand towards the nightstand next to her bed. She knocked on the surface for luck. It happened to coincide perfectly with the knock on her door. Mack twisted to look at it, then sighed.

“Someone’s here.”

“I should probably go anyway. It’s getting late here.”

Mack smiled softly, reluctant to hang up, wanting to say…something. Wanting to say _more_ but not quite sure what. 

She settled for “Talk soon?”

“Bye.” His voice was low and intimate and she closed her eyes, hoping the emotion underlying his tone was the same one she was hesitant to name. 

After murmuring her own goodbye and hanging up the phone, Mack swung her legs over the bed and stood. It only took two short steps to reach the door, and she pulled it open quickly.

“Hi Mom!”

Her mom smiled at her. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You missed dinner.”

Mack turned in surprise to look at the clock. They had talked for much longer than she thought. “Oh! I – I – ”

Her mom spotted the phone in her hand and apparently figured out very quickly why she missed dinner. She turned away with a sigh. Mack felt a little pang of hurt, and she couldn’t stop herself from speaking.

“Why don’t you want me to be happy?”

Her mom faced her again, a surprised and almost offended expression on her face. “Of _course_ I want you to be happy.”

“Just not with him. Which I don’t understand, because you had no problem with the two of us back then. He’s good enough for a friend but not your daughter?”

“Mack,” her mom said, exhaling sharply as she shook her head. “That was different. You _know_ that was different. If I honestly believed you’d be happy with him, I’d – you won’t be!”

“Because he’s older than me?”

“Older! Honey, he was older than you 25 years ago. Now, he’s – ”

“Mom,” Mack interrupted, clenching her fists beseechingly. “I know! Do you think I don’t realize – relationships are supposed to be about working through problems, sticking together, aren’t they?” She scoffed, allowing her pain and anger to override her better judgment. “Not that you’d know that since you bailed when the man you loved got brain damage!”

The look on her Mom’s face was thunderous and she pointed at Mack with a shaky, scolding finger. “Don’t act like you know anything about that. You saw us at a bad time. You’ve seen us at plenty bad and good times, so I think I have a strong foundation of experience backing me up here about how to make long-term relationships work! And when your eye starts wandering toward some young, vibrant man or woman, or his commitment issues – or yours, my dear – start flaring up, or when he’s dying of old age and you have decades of your life left to live without him, don’t come crying to me!”

Her mom turned and stormed away even as Mack slammed the door shut. She leaned against it, sobbing and feeling entirely too much like she did when she was 13 and got into shouting matches with her parents, and another part of her feeling devastated that this was driving a wedge between them just when she finally got them back. 

Clearly, conversations like that were not ideal for showing them she was making a rational, mature decision in this situation.

**

Things were still raw and a bit awkward when Mack and Toni said their goodbyes. Toni hugged their parents, and then she and James escaped as fast as possible. Mack inhaled rather shakily and swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“OK,” her dad suddenly said. He stepped forward and pulled Mack into a quick hug, kissing her temple. “Whatever you two said to each other, I don’t care. You’re both going to say I’m sorry and I love you. Got it?”

He stepped away, and Mack looked at her mother. She struggled against her pride for a few moments, until she saw her mom’s chin trembling. They both rushed forward at the same time, colliding with each other and hurriedly embracing. Mack wasn’t entirely sure either one of them followed her dad’s instructions, but they did both blubber some unintelligible words out. And seconds later, her dad wrapped his arms around both of them. Mack cried even harder.

“I don’t want to go,” she finally managed to say. “I want to stay here with you.” There was a long silence, and Mack added almost breathlessly, “And I belong with the team.”

Neither of her parents said anything for a beat, and then finally her mom said, “We’ll talk about it later. You can’t just quit the day before the new session.”

It was an unexpected response, and the closest either one had ever come to even considering letting Mack be a field agent. She pulled away and gaped, sniffling a bit. “Really?”

They looked at each other and then her dad sighed. Making eye contact with her again, he shrugged. “Let us swallow one difficult pill at a time.”

Mack laughed in surprise and flung her arms around them one more time.

**

Mack unpacked slowly, enjoying cataloguing the differences between her old Academy room and this current one. Back then, all she had was sketches and tech whirring and one cherished photo in a frame on the dresser. Now, she still had sketches and tech whirring, but every surface was covered with pictures of her with her parents, with her siblings, with the rest of the team. The room just seemed brighter somehow, and she could remember how many happy hours she had spent in here, preparing for class, working on her research and most importantly, talking on the phone with the people she loved.

In some way, knowing deep-down this was the last time she’d unpack before a new term, she started to feel nostalgic and regretful. Between her own time as a cadet in a much smaller, cramped room, and the years since in the faculty wing, this place had become her second home. She hadn’t lied to Lance; she loved teaching and research. But the thought of being part of the team again, getting to spend so much time with her parents, getting to go out into the world and – maybe she could clone herself somehow.

She smiled at the thought, then sighed. Reaching down, she grabbed another shirt from her suitcase.

**

One finger skimming down the nearly desiccated scroll marked the place of the man translating the ancient text. And then it came to a stop.

He flipped open the book on the opposite side of the table, the pages almost ripping as he rushed to find the correct reference.

Could it be? 

Had he found it, at last?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I thought I wasn't going to update for a while. Just...never believe a word I say.


	5. Chapter 5

_“I hate this,” Jemma sniffed. “I thought it was supposed to be easier the second time. Fitz, it’s been hours.”_

_She tilted her head toward him tiredly, closing her eyes as he lifted the hand that wasn’t wrapped around her shoulders and used it to wipe the hair off her sweaty forehead._

_“I know,” he soothed. “You’re doing so well, though. Just focus on what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”_

_“God,” Jemma whined. “I’ll probably still be here waiting for this kid to make its debut.”_

_He kissed the top of her head, and Jemma could feel the stretch of his smile. She scowled._

_“Is there anything I can do?” he asked._

_“I think you’ve done enough, don’t you?”_

_Fitz chuckled, because apparently he had a death wish. “I refuse to take the blame for this. I wanted to use protection. You were the one who said we were fine without it.”_

_Her scowl grew deeper, but she refused to admit he was right. “Won’t have to worry about that sort of thing in the future,” she threatened. “We’re never having sex again.”_

_“I don’t believe you,” Fitz whispered in her ear, and despite everything, Jemma shivered at the sensation._

_“Well…maybe once or twice,” she allowed with a smile._

_Whatever his response was going to be, she wouldn’t find out. Another contraction hit, and Jemma tensed up. She moaned loudly, closing her eyes against the pain and scrunching the fabric of his shirt in her fist. As it finally subsided, she let out a little gasp before collapsing against his chest with a whimper._

_“Where’s Dr. Turner?” he wondered aloud. “Why is this taking so long?”_

_He had barely asked the question when the man pushed the door open and greeted them cheerfully. Jemma responded half-heartedly, but followed his instructions as he began his exam. She glanced up at Fitz, fighting a giggle when she saw how, buried underneath all the other emotions associated with their current concern, he was fighting against jealous anger at the man groping around in his wife’s private parts. So predictable._

_“OK, Jemma,” Dr. Turner said. “It’s time to start pushing.”_

_She nearly cried with relief. Fitz moved, sliding out from underneath her and standing up. He gripped her hand, flashing her a supportive, somewhat sickly smile._

_“Ready for two?”_

_Jemma laughed breathlessly. “Nope.”_

**

“OK, honey. We’ll let you go now. I’m so glad you enjoyed your first day.”

“Have a good week, sweetie.”

“Love you guys!” Toni replied with a cheerful little wave before the hologram cut out. 

After a few moments, a loud sniff broke the silence in the room. Jemma glanced over at Fitz with an amused expression. “Are you crying?”

“No,” Fitz muttered, wiping at his eye. “It’s just dusty in here.”

“Mm-hmm.” Jemma moved closer, draping across Fitz’ back and wrapping her arms around him. “You know she was in Europe all last year?”

“I know,” Fitz replied. “It’s not that she’s gone. It’s that…she’s growing up. They’re all growing up. I can still remember her toddling around after Mack long before James entered the picture. And now she’s at the Academy.”

Jemma smiled as she ran her hand down Fitz’ chest and then back up. “I wonder if she’ll be lucky enough to meet the love of her life there too.”

Fitz twisted to look at her, adoration in his eyes and a little smile on his face. “If she does, I hope it doesn’t take her ten years to figure it out.”

“Now, Fitz,” Jemma said, shaking her head in mock condescension. “It happened for us at the time it was supposed to happen. Who knows where we’d be now if we had rushed things?”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment, even as he fought a grin. “Pretty sure getting knocked up our first time is the very definition of rushing things.”

“All of our children were – ”

“Were planned,” Fitz said along with her, rolling his eyes. Then he sat up straighter, as if a metaphorical light bulb had gone on over his head. He leaned to the side, stretching his hand out for the drawer of the bedside table.

Jemma raised an eyebrow curiously, and then broke into a smile when he faced her again, a small wrapped box in his hands.

“What’s this?” she asked, taking the present.

“You’re a wonderful mother,” he said. “You taught both your girls how to be talented scientists and more importantly how to be amazing women. Just a little token to celebrate that.”

Jemma smiled wider, touched. She opened the box and ran her finger over the earrings inside. “I’m willing to concede you might have had something to do with how they turned out too.”

Fitz laughed. “Maybe a little,” he agreed. 

“I can’t believe she’s starting at the Academy,” Jemma observed, clutching the box and leaning against Fitz again, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her lips twitched in amusement before she added, “Trip would be so proud of her.”

“I think you mean Antoine Lavoisier,” Fitz immediately replied with a little huff.

Jemma began to laugh. “I flirted with him a handful of times nearly thirty years ago, and he’s been gone almost as long. You can stop being jealous at any time.”

Fitz shrugged. 

“Besides, you never hear me wondering why exactly you wanted to name Mack after Big Mack or…well, Mack herself, I suppose, do you?”

“I just enjoy teasing you,” Fitz confessed unnecessarily.

Jemma hid her smile against his shoulder. After a moment, Fitz added quietly, “I miss him. I wonder what he’d be like now.”

Her smile faded. “Me too.”

They were both silent for a long time, and then Jemma inhaled deeply. She forced a smile and changed the subject. “If you’re this bad now, I can’t image what you’ll be like when James goes off to college.”

“Oh God.”

“Empty nest.”

“What are we going to _do_ with ourselves?”

“You mean besides running S.H.I.E.L.D.’s science division?” She paused, then grinned. She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. “Anything we want. Might be kind of fun to learn what married life without kids is like.”

Fitz turned to look at her again, the smile growing on his face. He twisted even further, drawing her into a kiss even as he pushed her down to the mattress. Jemma blindly put the jewelry box on the bedside table and pushed aside the tablet they had been using to talk to Toni. 

Fitz’ lips moved away from hers, traveling lightly across her jaw towards her neck. “Gibbon?” he breathed out.

Jemma couldn’t stop her laughter. Then she shook her head and pushed hard against his shoulder until he was on his back and she was straddling his lap. He looked up at her, eyebrows lifted high in surprised arousal. Then they both started to smile.

“Bonobo,” they said simultaneously.

**

Mack blew a strand of hair off her face and redoubled her efforts. She had woken up from a very pleasant dream about Lance an hour or so before she had to get up, and she wanted to, well, continue the fantasy, but her body wasn’t being very cooperative. She thought about giving up, but hadn’t quite lost all hope just when her phone rang.

The noise of frustration she made was perhaps a little too loud for the early hour. She twisted, slapping her free hand on the phone and picking it up. And then she read the screen and smiled. Maybe the real thing would be able to get the job done. 

“Hi,” she breathed out in answer.

“Sorry, I know it’s early there.”

“Yes, it is. I’m still in bed. Don’t – ” Mack paused, exhaling sharply as she managed to rub just the right spot. “Don’t want to get up yet.”

He chuckled, and Mack damn near swooned, her head pressing back against the pillow as she closed her eyes and rubbed faster. 

“Loafing around?” he guessed.

“Thinking about how much I miss you,” she said, allowing her tone to turn shamelessly horny.

There was a long pause. “Switch to hologram,” he growled. “I want to watch.”

“I want you to participate,” Mack countered, even as she pulled the phone away from her ear to jab her thumb at the necessary buttons. “Do you have the voyeur app?”

“I…do.”

Mack grinned, lowering the phone to stare instead at the hologram of Lance, the angle making him appear to cut, ghost-like, through her mattress. 

“Purely for professional reasons,” he added unconvincingly, his eyes glued to where her hand was working.

“Wanna be unprofessional for a while?”

Almost immediately, the image of him was moving, and she guessed he was heading towards his couch just as he got there. She bit her lip as he propped the phone on the coffee table so she could watch him unzip his pants and push them off his hips. Then he leaned over and began to enter in the new commands on his phone. She turned to her own, switching the angle of projection and setting it _just so_ on her bedside table.

“Oh God,” he uttered. Mack knew she must appear to be sprawled on his couch now, naked and waiting. 

Lance moved quickly, positioning himself just right so his image was beside her and they had the illusion of eye contact.

“I heard the next update will simulate touch,” Mack whispered, sliding her fingers a little faster and pretending Lance was rocking into her and not his fist.

“What would we do without hard-up nerds?”

Mack’s laugh faded off into a shuddery moan. Things were definitely progressing now. 

“I wish I was really inside you,” Lance said softly.

Mack nodded, eyelids fluttering. “Me too. I want that so bad.”

“That’s why I called,” he panted out. He broke eye contact, tilting his head to the side in pleasure. “I can come in two weeks, if that works.”

“Come or _come_?” Mack asked, laughing.

“Both. Please tell me it works.”

“Yes! Yes, it – oh, _yes_.”

**

Mack was relaxed, happy, and more than a little distracted as she slid – rather late – into the seat in the dining hall next to Toni and across from one of her colleagues. It took her a moment to realize what seemed off, and she shook her head as she tried to reconcile the memories. Yes, of course, Lauren. Sitting opposite her and blowing into her coffee mug was Mack’s ex. They had dated years ago, when they were students at the Academy themselves, and they were still good friends. In this universe, anyway. In Mack’s other memories, they had had one too many fights about Mack’s commitment issues and emotional distance and they barely spoke anymore. Mack had to admit she liked this outcome better. Lauren was happy now, two years into a relationship with a professor in the Astronomy department, but still prone to rolling her eyes at Mack’s dual personality, as she called it. Mack suppressed a laugh, remembering how many times Lauren pointed out that Mack was the happiest person ever with her Norman Rockwell life one minute and then, bizarrely, doing the whole angry-scared loner refusing to let anyone get close thing. Even in this world, where she had grown up with everything _right_ , Mack herself could still admit that her relationship issues ran deep. Until now, she was pretty sure.

“Finally! Oversleep?” Toni asked, breaking Mack out of her thoughts.

“No, I – was on the phone.”

“With Mom and Dad? I talked to them last night. Dad’s getting sentimental again.”

“No. With…England,” Mack muttered.

“Ah,” Toni said knowingly.

“Who’s in England?” Lauren jumped on the potential gossip.

Mack fought a strange blush, not sure why she felt embarrassed. There was no point in keeping it secret, anyway. Not when he’d be in town in a couple weeks. Of course, she couldn’t tell Lauren the full story. The fact that she had traveled through time was definitely something to keep need-to-know. “I…met someone over break. He lives in London.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows, then rolled her hand leadingly. “And? Tell me more.”

“He’s the, um, head of S.T.R.I.K.E. and we – ”

She cut off when she spotted Lauren’s expression. “How old is he?” she asked curiously.

“A little bit older,” Mack acknowledged, barely finishing the statement before Toni snorted. 

“Try 30-odd years.”

Lauren’s mouth dropped open in amused shock. “What?!”

Mack glared at Toni, and then nodded. 

“Another piece in the puzzle of why we didn’t work out,” Lauren mused. “I mean, I could sort of work around your bisexual urges by pulling out the strap-on when you wanted, you know, a good dicking.” Toni lowered her fork to her tray with an _ew, why?_. “But I definitely couldn’t do anything about your daddy issues.”

“I don’t have daddy issues,” Mack protested. “And there are plenty of reasons we didn’t work out.”

“Thank God,” Lauren observed, laughing. “This guy, though. He must be pretty amazing if you actually want to deal with an age difference almost as large as the geographical distance between you.”

Toni snickered in agreement. “He apparently is very good at _dicking_ ,” she reported with a little shudder. 

“Wow, really? You know that already?”

Mack’s mouth opened and closed, as she tried to figure out how to answer. Yes, she supposed it was quite soon for two people who theoretically just met. Finally, she just shrugged. Lauren’s amusement faded as her concern deepened.

“Be careful, Mack. I mean, I’d love to see you really happy, but that just seems – fast.”

“It’s not just – we have feelings for each other.”

“What kind of feelings?” Lauren pressed. “Has he said? Have you? What kind of feelings could you have in a week or whatever? And what’s the plan for dealing with living in different countries? Dealing with the age difference? Dealing with the ‘special relationship’ between your organizations? ”

“What’s with the interrogation?” Mack was starting to feel annoyed. 

“I’m asking because I care,” Lauren argued. “I don’t want to see you finally put yourself out there for someone only to have it all crumble once the heat cools off. Sex is important, of course, but it isn’t the strongest foundation to build a real relationship on.”

Mack glanced at Toni, hoping to have support from someone on her side. Toni’s expression was a little hesitant, however, and she shrugged to indicate at least some agreement.

“It’s not like that,” she tried to argue, looking back at Lauren and feeling a bit betrayed by Toni’s reaction. She thought her siblings had understood. “We – I – there’s – it’s more than sex.”

Before either one could reply, the warning bell rang and other cadets and faculty began to prepare for their day. Lauren, who had to be clear on the other side of the campus in five minutes, gave her a nod and an encouraging if not fully supportive smile as she stood. “I hope so. I’m happy for you, Mack. I hope it works out.”

With that, she was gone, and Mack faced Toni with a _what the hell?_ expression. 

“Sorry,” Toni said, “But…I mean, from what Mom and Skye hinted at while you and Bobbi were gone, you two were pretty hot and heavy. And then you just jumped him right away again. _Have_ you talked about that sort of stuff?”

Mack looked at her tray, swallowing past a sudden lump in her throat. “He’s coming in a couple weeks. We’re – planning on visits and – ”

“Visits to do what?” Toni asked, apologetic yet firm. “To talk and get to know each other again? Or to…you know.”

Mack’s eyes burned with unshed tears. Neither of them knew what they were talking about. They didn’t know anything; they’d never seen her and Lance together. They weren’t there when they fell for each other a lifetime ago. Their relationship wasn’t just sex. It wasn’t.

“I’ve gotta go,” Mack muttered, standing up quickly and grabbing her tray.

“Mack,” Toni called after her, sounding worried and guilty. “Mack!”

She didn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there may have been a little shout-out to my own story in this. I’d say like mother, like daughter but…wrong AU.


	6. Chapter 6

“It really doesn’t bother you?”

“It really doesn’t bother me! Would I have flown her over there if it bothered me?”

Mack shrugged, not quite meeting Bobbi’s eyes. “I’ve never understood your relationship.”

“Friendly exes. Colleagues. What’s to understand? All the rest of that drama faded away years ago.”

Bobbi tried not to be too obvious in her response. She hated this stupid crush she had developed on Mack at some point in the last year or two. Or twenty. She hated that she actually was too chicken to do anything about it. She wasn’t afraid of anything! Except losing her best friend, apparently. At least she finally understood why Jemma had been so hesitant and uncertain all those years ago. 

Mack looked at her, a probing expression on his face, as if he wanted to convince himself that Bobbi was telling the truth. She stared back at him, trying to seem as sincere as she felt. She definitely did not care at all about who Hunter slept with. More than that, she was happy he and Kenzie had a second chance at figuring themselves out. 

“OK,” Mack said. 

He didn’t look away for a while, long enough to be noticeable, and Bobbi could feel the significance of the moment. She wondered sometimes – when they were hanging out like this, or when they sparred and didn’t separate immediately whenever they fell to the ground – if maybe she wasn’t the only one harboring a secret crush.

**

Mack’s excitement was admittedly a bit dampened. She was still upset about what Lauren and Toni had said. She knew she had been strange on the phone with Lance sometimes, pretending she didn’t pick up on his hints to have another _interactive_ phone call, and she also knew she had been punishing Toni a little for everything – ignoring her outside of class and being too hard on her in it. She hoped this visit would settle her down some and get everything back on track. She and Lance could figure out more of the logistics of their future. Seeing him again, in person, would calm her and remind her how much they belonged together, and that renewed confidence could then help her start to make up with her sister and friend too.

Mack nodded to herself at the thought. And then she promptly forgot it, instead focusing on the group of people who appeared at the other end of the baggage claim area. She craned her neck, looking one direction and then the other, trying to spot – 

There.

She didn’t even try to stop the rather embarrassing squeal that came out of her as she broke into an immediate run. He spotted her right away, dropping his bag in time to catch her as she launched herself at him. He _oofed_ , staggered a bit, then steadied. Mack was pretty sure he didn’t need to span his hand across her ass to hold her so close, but she didn’t care. The other passengers were forced to walk around them, but Mack didn’t care about that either. She was too busy kissing him. 

Eventually, they separated. Mack stepped ever so slightly back, but kept her arms wrapped around his neck. She stared up at him, smiling at his dazed expression. 

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Mack replied, smiling even wider. “Do you have a suitcase?”

Lance raised a flirtatious eyebrow. “Didn’t think I’d need that many clothes.”

The sudden shift in Mack’s mood surprised even her. She stepped away from him, looking down and feeling somewhat ill. All she could hear was Lauren and Toni and their accusations. 

“Mack? Are you OK?”

She shook her head, turning away from him and wrapping an arm around her stomach. “Are we – moving too fast?”

There was a long pause. “Pardon?”

“I just – maybe we should slow things down a bit.”

She could almost hear his eyes bug out, but she couldn’t bring herself to look. “The whole freaking out and slamming the brakes thing is about 25 years out of style, wouldn’t you say?”

Mack exhaled slowly, unable to respond. The worst part about his statement was that his voice wasn’t angry or confused or hurt. It was mostly resigned, like he had been expecting something like this. Like he had thought everything was too good to last. 

“I guess if you were going to do this hot and cold thing, I would have preferred you’d said something before I flew all the way over here.”

Mack shook her head quickly, finally turning to face him. She gripped his biceps in her hands, wanting to prevent him from leaving, wanting to have his full attention. “It’s not like that, I swear, Lance. I want to be with you – for real, forever. I’m just – I want to make sure we do this right.”

“Mack, I’m not exactly an expert, but I don’t think there is a right way. I think all we can try to do is make sure it’s the right way for us.”

“Neither one of us are experts,” Mack pointed out. “That’s what I mean. Lance…back then…we loved each other, didn’t we?”

He looked down, nodding and shrugging at the same time. “I loved you,” he confirmed. “I – I don’t know – I’d hoped – I’d – ”

Mack shook her head. “I spent so much time trying to act like it was all just a no strings attached sex thing, even after I started feeling so much more.”

Lance grinned in relief, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. “We both felt more. And we’re finding our way back to that.”

“No,” Mack sighed, lifting her hands to rest on his chest. She stared at her fingers. “We’re not. We can’t go back. You’re not the same person anymore, and I’m finally being honest about who I am. But I think – I think we are falling in love with who we are now, too. I just…I don’t want to rush it or skip any important steps. I don’t want to be just…fuck buddies this time around.”

The silence was palpable, and then Lance said, “Oh.”

Mack forced her eyes up to look at him. She felt strangely foolish and sheepish and, yes, childish too. 

“So…when you say we might be moving too fast, you mean you just want to slow down…the sex part.”

She laughed at his tone. He sounded both like he couldn’t believe it and like he didn’t _want_ to believe it.

“I know it’s ridiculous,” Mack admitted. “We’ve done it so many times, and you came all the way here, and believe me, there’s a part of me screaming in protest, but…I want to see if – if we are capable of spending a few days together without it. I need to prove we’re more than just sex this time.”

Lance stared back at her, then ducked his head. “OK. If that’s what you need.”

“Really?”

He closed his eyes and nodded, seeming rather defeated. “How long were you thinking?”

“Just this visit,” Mack suggested.

“The _whole_ visit?”

Mack forced a smile at his despair. It was the only response she could give, considering she was just about as horrified at the idea. 

“That’s it, then,” he demanded. “After that, no holds barred. We can get to know each other and fall in love again _while_ having as much sex as we, OK, _I_ can manage. The clock’s already ticking on us, Mack, and I have no intention of losing any more time with you. ”

Mack blinked rapidly. She didn’t want to think about that. “Deal,” she said.

**

_Fitz sighed and fell onto the bed. Moments later, he bounced a bit as Jemma landed next to him. Fitz was down to his boxers and Jemma to literally just one of his t-shirts, the rest of their clothes covered in baby goo and piled in heaps they hadn’t been able to wash. Somehow, a barely one-year-old and a six-week-old felt like ten kids instead of two._

_“I can’t believe it,” she murmured._

_“They’re both asleep. At the same time.”_

_It took a moment for Fitz to realize she was looking at him. Once he faced her, she deliberately lowered her eyelids a bit, and he swallowed._

_“What do you want to do?” he asked, his voice noticeably gruff. “We should – everyone says to sleep when babies sleep.”_

_“Mmm, yes. That’s true. But I have a different suggestion.”_

_She didn’t even have to say it aloud before Fitz was showing her exactly how he felt about the idea. It was a bit clumsy, actually, partly because it had been several weeks since they’d done anything like this and partly because they were both still hanging half off the bed. Fitz wedged his hands underneath her armpits and yanked her onto the mattress. Time seemed to stop existing then, as they kissed and kissed and kissed. Jemma’s fingers rested lightly on his cheeks and Fitz occasionally pulled back for air and to nuzzle her nose with his own. It took him probably too long to realize how awkwardly her head was tilted, but when he did, he reached for her pillow and lifted her up to place it underneath her. She smiled up at him, making Fitz feel even tenderer towards her. So, he slowed things down even more, sliding his hand down to her hip and moving over to nibble at her neck._

_Jemma’s breath was loud in his ear, deep inhalations followed by heavy exhalations. Her hands dropped to caress his back and he shivered at the feel of her fingers pressing against his warm skin. He barely noticed at first when the sweeps of her hands slowed to a stop, or when her breathing turned steady and slow instead of more and more ragged. And then one of her hands fell off his back onto the bed with a thump._

_Fitz lifted up to stare down at her. “Jemma?”_

_There was no response._

_“Jemma, wake up,” he requested, a little singsong, and he pressed his hips slightly harder against hers for good measure._

_It was no use. She was completely out, and Fitz wasn’t mean enough to really wake her up. He sighed. He couldn’t just – it would be_ wrong _if he kept on – right? No. Although… No. He would have to raise the issue some other time, though, and find out if the idea of one of them waking the other up, ah,_ inventively _was something as appealing to her as it suddenly was to him._

_For now, he simply rolled off her and onto his back with a dejected sigh. Moments later, he lifted his head up and tilted it to stare at his lower body, which hadn’t yet gotten the message that his plans had changed. Fitz bit his lip. He hadn’t wanted to…take matters into his own hand since Toni was born, partly out of solidarity and partly because he too had just enough energy to air-kiss in Jemma’s direction whenever they happened to fall into bed together. But he was too keyed up now._

_Fitz hesitated for all of a moment, before planting his feet and lifting up to slide his boxers off. He pushed himself up by one elbow then, reaching across Jemma for the bottle of lotion on her bedside table and squeezing a dollop onto his palm. Settling onto his back again, he rubbed his hands together to warm them up, and then he turned his head to the side so he could at least look at Jemma while he took care of business. She really was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen._

_Fitz breathed out slowly as he took hold of himself, but before long, his hand was moving rapidly and he could barely keep his eyes open. He was trying not to shake the bed too much, not wanting to disturb her. It wouldn’t be a concern much longer, anyway; it had been far too long and he was much too hard already._

_Jemma snuffled and turned to her side, and Fitz stopped moving immediately – half-afraid and half-hopeful he had woken her up after all. A tiny moan escaped her lips and her eyes opened a fraction. Fitz stared back at her, waiting to see what would happen._

_“Mmm, lemme,” she whispered, and her hand suddenly was on top of his._

_He whimpered and moved his own hand out of the way so he could feel her palm directly on his skin. His breath shuddered a bit as he watched her slowly, lazily stroke him one, two, three times. And then she stopped. He looked over at her again, feeling somewhat panicked, and he practically screamed when he saw she had fallen asleep again. Her hand had turned into dead weight, but was still mostly wrapped around him._

_Fitz squeezed his eyes shut and scolded himself once again for his immediate ideas about taking advantage of the situation. She might be his wife but it would be…so very, very hot. God damn it, he was only human._

_Fitz whined and shook his head, then reached down to grab her hand. He tugged it up to his lower belly and rested his fingers over her own. He dropped his other hand back down, and began moving again, rocking his hips up to thrust into the channel formed by his fist. It didn’t take much longer before he was coming, Jemma’s fingers twitching under his as his release landed on them. He sunk back onto his pillow, biting his lip to stop the noises he wanted to make._

_As he slowly came out of the haze of his orgasm, Jemma let out a little snore. Fitz blinked up at the ceiling, feeling distinctly unsatisfied._

__

**

Mack blinked up at the ceiling, trying to ignore how incredibly horny she was feeling. It had been a lovely night. Their dinner date had been full of conversation and laughter, and it had only been slightly spoiled by the waitress assuming they were father and daughter. Lance's expression at that had Mack laughing even more, but she had allowed (OK, initiated) a very public display of affection to help him feel better. They had strolled around the Academy campus afterwards, holding hands as Mack talked about her time there as both a student and a professor. In return, Lance had shared stories from his past – as a mercenary, in S.H.I.E.L.D. and in S.T.R.I.K.E.

When they made it back to her room, Lance turned endearingly awkward and began to make comments about finding a hotel. Mack couldn’t allow that. Even if nothing happened between them, she wanted to spend as much time as possible together. And she thought it would be sort of romantic, in a way, to sleep the whole night in the same bed, something she had only let happen once in the past and something she hoped would become commonplace in the future. 

She hadn’t considered the possibility that his makeshift pajamas of a t-shirt and a pair of boxers would somehow be sexier than nothing at all. She hadn’t considered how it would feel to be next to him, not quite touching, and knowing it was her own stupid fault they weren’t. Mack stifled a sigh and turned to peer at Lance through the darkness.

“Are you still awake?” she whispered.

“Mm-hmm.” 

“I’m…having a bit of trouble sleeping,” she confessed meekly.

“Me too.” The gruffness in his voice did not help the whole horny problem.

They were both silent for a long time, and Mack could tell neither one wanted to be the one to break. Neither one was willing to risk that Lauren and Toni had been right. Finally, she sensed Lance raise his hand and rub his palm over his eyes.

“Jesus,” he muttered.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Mack replied. After a moment, she added, “Do you think we can at least…cuddle?”

The speed with which he rolled closer and pulled her into his embrace made her laugh in a desperate sort of way.

**

Jemma smiled as she examined the cell sample under her microscope. Even simple things – perhaps especially the simple things – still filled her with so much delight. Science had never and would never get old.

She sat up straighter and looked around the room, stretching out the tension from hunching over her equipment for too long. Her smile grew wider when she spotted her husband working on his own projects a few feet away. He wore a lab coat and a very serious expression. Speaking of views that would never get old. Jemma bit her lip mischievously.

“Fitz, come look at this.”

He glanced up at her, nodded, and put the tech in his hands down. As soon as he was close enough, she pushed her chair back to give him room. He stepped in front of her and bent over. Jemma grinned. 

“What am I – all I see are cells.”

“Hmm,” Jemma murmured. “All I see is a fine piece of – ”

Fitz stood up straight, then turned to face Jemma. She grinned wider when she saw the blush start to appear on the crests of his cheekbones. 

“I don’t appreciate being ogled and objectified, Dr. Simmons. Some of us are trying to work.”

Jemma chuckled as he walked away. When he reached his bench, he glanced at her again and shot her a quick wink.


	7. Chapter 7

Mack had never kissed anyone as hard and passionately as she was kissing Lance just then. She couldn’t even pretend to care that they were standing a few feet away from the security gates of the airport and were probably making quite a spectacle of themselves. They had been so good that week and had earned a bit of a reward. 

The best part was she had realized she was definitely falling for this older, wiser Lance in a way that she might not have ever felt for the younger version. She was pretty sure the deciding factor had been his last full day there, when he gave a lecture to her first years (“Yes, Mack. I absolutely want to teach your class. That _is_ what I had in mind for this trip, actually.”) and spoke rather fervently about the good the cadets could and will do as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He no longer tried to hide his ideals or downplay his commitment, no longer tried to laugh off responsibility or pretend at selfishness. Judging by the looks on most of the women’s and some of the men’s faces, she wasn’t the only one succumbing to his intensity. 

Even Toni, as she walked out of the room towards her next class, leaned in close and squeezed Mack’s arm. “I get it,” she had whispered in her ear, following it up with a little wink. At Mack’s subsequent laugh, Lance had given her a curious look from where he still stood by the lectern. She had pointed at her sister and mouthed her name, and Lance had nodded in understanding. Toni gave him a wave, and Mack resolved to officially introduce them now that she was feeling less hostile towards her sister. Next visit, though. Because she wanted him all to herself for the last few hours he was there.

It hadn’t been enough, though. And now, when they clung to each other and fought for air between kisses, she was beginning to think she’d never get enough. And she was beginning to think she had been completely wrong.

She broke the kiss, pulling away far enough to prevent him from chasing after her. “I’m so stupid,” she said. “Why did I let them get to me?”

“Huh?” 

“You said it yourself; we have to find a way that’s right for us. Sex doesn’t have to be – it’s part of a healthy relationship, not something that – ”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this now,” Lance groaned, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. 

Mack turned away, looking around with wild eyes and feeling increasingly desperate. “Is there, like, a bathroom or – ”

Lance laughed, but it was rather strained. “My plane starts boarding in 30 minutes, and that security line is getting pretty long. I’m not gonna say we couldn’t manage it, but…”

Mack sighed. She faced him again. “When can you visit next?”

“Like…a month?”

Mack nodded. “I guess I can wait that long,” she said with a pout.

Lance laughed again, pulling away from her and starting to walk towards security. He held her hands as long as possible. “What’s one more month at this point?”

**

“Work day’s over,” Jemma announced, as she walked into Skye’s office and interrupted her discussion with Bobbi.

“We’re just finishing up on – ”

“Is it of vital interdimensional security?”

“Well…no.”

“Work day’s over,” Jemma repeated, presenting the carton of ice cream in her hand with a flourish. “It’s the first Friday of the month! Girls’ night!”

Bobbi and Skye looked at each other and then back to Jemma in surprise. “You – want to?” Skye asked.

“You’re not angry?”

“Oh, I’m super angry,” Jemma confirmed. “You two are hardly the experts on personal lives and shouldn’t be meddling in anyone else’s. But they’re both adults, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so. At least we sort of made up before she left.”

Jemma sighed as she sat down and pulled the lid off the ice cream at the same time. Bobbi and Skye both stood and walked over to join her on the couch. Jemma took a deep breath then, not sure how to say what she wanted to, not sure if she’d be able to get through it without breaking down. 

“Besides, you were both…there for her when I couldn’t be, and so maybe that does give you some kind of right or authority. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around her other life, you know? All the memories she has where I wasn’t – ” Jemma broke off, swallowing around the lump in her throat. “Everything still feels a bit unbalanced between us, like there’s a part of her that doesn’t feel like I’m really her mother. I worry that I can’t ever make up for not doing anything and everything I could to survive. I’m not sure she can even accept my love or support or concern now because she can’t…trust it fully. And then on top of that, there was…back then, when I didn’t even _suspect_ that – I avoided her and was jealous of her because of her connection to Fitz and I can’t imagine how that must have made her feel. How could I not recognize my own daughter? After everything she had done to get there.”

She looked down at her hands, a wobbly smile spreading on her face when both Bobbi and Skye reached out to comfort her. 

“She did all that to get you back,” Skye reminded Jemma. “And I can’t thank her enough, because I honestly cannot imagine my life without you. I really don’t think she’s gonna give up on your relationship just because you guys have been fighting over her choice of boyfriend.”

Jemma laughed, blinking quickly. “No, probably not.”

“Besides,” Bobbi added. “There’s also the part of her that did grow up with you and knows exactly how close you two have always been. Maybe – maybe you’ll be able to focus on that, or use those memories, to get through this together.”

Jemma turned her hands around to grab their hands more firmly, giving them both tight squeezes. “I love you two so much.”

**

Fitz hesitated for a moment when he spotted James talking to an insanely pretty brunette with at least some Indian ancestry on the steps of his high school. His son had, lucky for him, inherited his mother’s looks – along with her innocent demeanor when completely disregarding rules, and her taste for adventure, even if it had ended up being of the fictional variety. But unfortunately, he had inherited his father’s complete inability to talk to girls. Judging by the way he seemed to be blushing and turning klutzy, this attempt wasn’t going well.

Fitz honestly couldn’t decide if interrupting them would embarrass James to death or if it would save him from the social trauma. Before he was able to make the choice, however, James turned and happened to spot the SUV. His face paled and his eyes widened, and Fitz lifted his hand off the wheel in a little wave. 

James faced the girl again, said…something, and walked over, death march style, to the car. Fitz unlocked the door and turned to nod at his son as he sat down and tugged the door shut again. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, sinking down in the seat in mortification as Fitz pulled away from the curb. And then James tensed in clear worry. “Look, I don’t know what Mrs. X told you, but I didn’t _fail_ the exam, and it was only a – ”

“ _What?_ ”

“…Nothing. It was a practice AP test. Doesn’t even count towards the final grade and so I kind of blew it off more than I should have and I will definitely make up for it and obviously will take the real thing very seriously.”

Fitz continued to stare at his son, not pleased at all with the explanation he was getting. And then James gestured at the road and Fitz remembered he was supposed to be driving. He faced forward again.

“So why _are_ you here then? Oh God! Is everyone OK? Did someone get – ”

“Everyone’s fine. I just thought I’d save you from the bus today and we could sneak some fast food but now I don’t know if you should be getting any treats.”

“You know mom doesn’t like us eating junk food.”

“Our little secret.”

James shot a skeptical look at Fitz, who sent him a smile back before focusing on the road again. He could almost hear James roll his eyes. 

“I don’t leave for college for several months. We don’t have to start emergency-bonding for a while yet. Or is this just because the girls are gone now so I’ll be getting 100 percent of your parental attention? Because if that’s the case, I’d like to make a formal complaint now.”

“Do you want a hamburger and shake or not?”

“Oh, I do,” James confirmed. 

“Then shut up and indulge your old man.”

They drove in silence for a while, with James leaning against the window and seeming to daydream. Fitz glanced at him a couple times, fighting a smile.

“What’s her name?” 

“Nothing. No one. Just – you didn’t see anything, and you certainly won’t say anything to Mom about it.”

“Uh-huh. Just remember.”

“A condom every time,” James said mockingly. “Because that’s so gonna be an issue now that she’s seen my daddy come pick me up.”

Fitz barked a laugh. “In my experience, girls like it when you recognize how smart they are. Maybe you should ask her to tutor you in Mrs. X’s class.”

James sighed loudly.

“It took you ten years to ask Mom out, so I think I’ll be looking for relationship advice from someone else, thanks. And I probably should ask someone else for birth control advice too, since that whole condom every time motto didn’t work for you, according to Mack.”

It was Fitz’ turn to sigh.

**

_“And then we had a snack! And then we colored! And then we sang songs! I can’t wait ‘til tomorrow, Daddy. I wish school never ended!”_

_“I felt the same way when I was your age. And all through school, actually,” Fitz agreed._

_Jemma stifled a laugh, not wanting to let on that she was watching her husband and daughters from the door. They were engrossed in talking about their first days of school and with turning Fitz into a walking cosmetics ad. Toni held one of his hands in hers and was very carefully painting the nails even as she gushed about kindergarten. Mack, on the other hand, was deep in concentration selecting the best shade of eye shadow._

_“How was your day, Mack?” Fitz asked._

_“I hated it,” she replied, not even looking up._

_“You hated it?!”_

_She shrugged. “I knew everything already. The teacher didn’t believe me when I said that either. So I told her all the answers, and then she made me sit in the back by myself and do a buncha worksheets. It was so boring.”_

_Jemma fought a smile. She knew the feeling well, and judging by Fitz’ expression, he remembered those days himself. “Well, honey,” he said. “Just remember that sometimes you’re gonna be ahead of the class, and when you are, you should make a game for yourself by finding something new to learn in the lesson.”_

_Mack sighed and then leaned forward with the little brush. “Close your eyes, Daddy.”_

_His next response was a bit of a hiss as Mack pressed too hard, and Jemma decided to finally rescue him._

_“Daddy looks so pretty!”_

_“Mommy!” both girls shouted, immediately putting their containers on the table and rushing over for a hug._

_“How was the trip, Mommy?!” “Did you bring us back a present?” “I missed you so much!” “Mommy, Daddy completely messed up my braid this morning; will you do it tomorrow?”_

_Jemma managed to answer all their questions and then raised the excitement level even more by telling them that Pops had ordered pizza to celebrate the first day of school. They rushed off without another word, and Jemma closed the door to the bedroom and locked it behind her. Fitz glanced up from where he was putting the lids back on the makeup and smiled quickly at her._

_“How’d the mission go?”_

_Jemma shrugged. She stepped closer, slinking a bit. “Fine. You seem to have things under control here.”_

_It was Fitz’ turn to shrug. “Except for braids, apparently.”_

_“Nice tiara,” Jemma complimented, unable to stop the grin._

_Fitz rolled his eyes and lifted one hand to grab the plastic crown off his head. Jemma darted her own hand out to stop him._

_“Leave it on.”_

_“What?” he asked, laughing._

_“I don’t know what it is about this look, but it is really,_ really _working for me.”_

_Fitz opened his mouth in speechless shock and tilted his head. Jemma snickered. “That’s a really nice shade of lipstick on you,” she added._

_“You can’t be serious.”_

_“I am so serious,” she confirmed, lowering her hand to tug his shirt out of his waistband._

_“Wow,” he mused, somewhat rhetorically and with a shake of his head. “In just a few short years, we’ve gone from leave the tac gear on to leave the princess get-up on. What happened to my masculinity?”_

_Jemma grinned and lowered her hand even more. He let out a little hiss again, but it was definitely not a complaint this time._

_“Oh, there it is,” Jemma whispered._

_Fitz didn’t need much more encouragement, pulling her close to him, then pulling her down to the floor. They toppled over one of the small plastic chairs in their haste, and Jemma practically ripped something, she tugged his zipper down so fast._

_“God, how long has it been?” Fitz moaned against her neck._

_“Too long,” she gasped out. “This is the summer vacation that would never end. I can’t believe you kept letting them crawl into our bed.”_

_“I can’t believe you wanted to homeschool them,” Fitz countered, rolling away and hopping to his feet._

_Jemma bit her lip and hurried to pull her clothes off, as she watched Fitz grope around on top of the tall cabinet in the corner. She spared a moment to wonder if hiding condoms in their daughters’ room – and indeed, just about every room in the Playground – made them bad people. She didn’t really care though, because they had resolved to use multiple forms of protection and they definitely wanted to be prepared whenever the mood – and more rarely, the opportunity – happened to strike._

_Yeah, they were definitely bad people. So…bad. So very, very naughty. Probably should be punished. Jemma shook her head and focused on Fitz’ earlier comment as he rolled the condom on and then reached out for her again._

_“Fitz, they really are – ” she damn near mewled as his fingers went wandering “ – too advanced. You heard Mack; you remember what it was like before you were put in the proper year.”_

_“I remember having no friends and being socially inept,” Fitz told her. Well, told her breasts._

_Jemma laughed breathlessly. “You really think going to a regular school would have changed that?”_

_Fitz pulled away and gave her an entirely unamused expression. Jemma grinned saucily._

_“I just think,” she continued, “we should reconsider the best – ”_

_“Can we talk about this later?” Fitz’ tone was urgent, and he followed up the question with a desperately tantalizing press of his hips._

_“Yes,” Jemma quickly agreed as her eyes rolled back at the sensation._

_“Good, because I want to show you how socially…ept I am now.”_

_Jemma laughed. “Not a word, genius.”_

_“Jemma, I swear to God,” he grumbled into her skin._

\------

_Coulson waited as Toni rushed back into the room and climbed onto her seat. He glanced at her sister, who was kneeling on her own chair._

_“Mack, please sit down properly.” She obeyed quickly, and Coulson added, “Are they going to eat?”_

_Toni shook her head. “Daddy’s not hungry, he said,” she mumbled around the pizza slice she was already biting into._

_“Don’t talk with your mouth full, honey,” Pops responded, even as Mack gaped and said, “Daddy’s_ always _hungry.”_

_Toni shrugged, chewed and swallowed dramatically, and then said, “The door was locked, so I yelled ‘Pops wants to know if you want pizza too’ and Daddy yelled back ‘not now, sweetie.’…I think they were playing hide and seek.”_

_Coulson started feeling very suspicious and was just about to change the subject when Skye furrowed her brow and asked “Hide and seek?”_

_Toni nodded. “Before I tried to open the door, I heard Mommy call out that she was coming.”_

_Coulson closed his eyes as Skye pretended to drop her napkin and ducked under the table, Mack choked on his drink, Bobbi winced and then lisped, “I literally just bit my tongue,” and May snorted. “They were playing hide the_ something _,” she muttered under her breath._

_Coulson hated them all. Perhaps most especially FitzSimmons._

_“Why would Mommy and Daddy play hide and seek without us?” Mack wondered._

_There was a dying-moose-like sound from under the table, and then an_ ow _when Coulson kicked Skye._

_“They were playing a special version for adults,” he answered. “They’ll explain the rules to you when you’re older.”_

_Mack opened her mouth to say more, and Coulson rushed to fill in the silence. “Eat your pizza before it gets cold, guys!”_


	8. Chapter 8

“So, what are you doing two Saturdays from now? You have a long weekend, right?” Jemma asked, thankful they were having a regular conversation instead of a hologram one and Mack couldn’t see her holding Fitz’ hand nervously. “Toni wants to come for a visit, and we thought maybe you could too.”

“Um,” Mack hesitated for a long beat, and Jemma felt her heart ache. “It’s just…Lance is coming to visit that weekend.”

It took Jemma a moment to realize why Fitz suddenly grimaced and lifted his free hand to his mouth to stifle a noise of complaint. And then she relaxed her grip. She looked over at him, working up the resolve and seeing if he – he nodded, and Jemma sighed.

“How about he comes here too?” she offered. 

“…Really?”

“Yes,” Jemma continued, closing her eyes. “I mean, we can’t just keep ignoring the elephant, can we? If – if you two…we’ll all have to be in the same room eventually.”

“OK,” Mack replied, sounding wary still but increasingly cheerful.

“And,” Fitz interjected, pausing to share another supportive glance with Jemma. “We can set up your field assessment the same weekend.”

“Really?!”

Jemma sighed. “We’re bringing May in to help Bobbi with it, and you know she won’t go easy on you. So…you better start practicing.”

“Oh my God! Yes, I will!”

“And – don’t think this means that you’re suddenly going to start leading missions or anything.”

“No! No, I know. I mean, Mom, Dad, honestly, most of the time I’m just going to be in the lab with you, and won’t that be fun? And come on, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been in the field before.”

“Yes,” Fitz agreed, a little tongue-in-cheek. “One time, when you got me shot. And one time, when you knew what was coming and so you managed to hold it together for five minutes.”

**

Fitz exhaled slowly as he watched the plane lower to the ground. Bobbi had gone to pick Hunter up from the airport and they’d arrived earlier than expected. Mack was still with her siblings, and he wasn’t entirely sure she even knew he was there yet. Fitz wanted to keep it that way, because he doubted whether he’d be able to control his reaction over seeing his old friend again, knowing that he – that he had…

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this conflicted, and he kept fidgeting, his hands going to rest on his lower back and then crossing over his stomach, and then stretched out in front of him as he pulled at the hand that hadn’t bothered him, even psychologically, for years. He made a small frustrated sound, and then turned to smile in reassurance when he felt Jemma’s eyes on him. 

Finally, the ramp lowered, and Bobbi walked down first. She flashed Fitz and Jemma a quick smile, whispering “he’s so nervous, it’s hilarious” as she walked past. 

Then there he was. He walked to the edge of the ramp, an incredibly wary, grimacing sort of smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something.

And Fitz punched him. 

There was a bit of commotion then, and Fitz wasn’t sure who shouted louder. Bobbi rushed back to them, clearly biting back laughter as she leaned over Hunter, while Jemma focused on Fitz, scolding him and reaching out to inspect the hand he was clutching to his chest. 

“What the hell?” Hunter yelled, straightening up and pressing his fingers lightly against the forming lump. Then he sighed. “OK, I probably deserved that.”

“Ya think?” Fitz blurted before bending over again and shaking out his hand. 

They both groaned a couple more times. Finally, Hunter stopped, placed his hands on his hips, and looked to the ceiling as he exhaled loudly. 

“How are you otherwise, mate?”

“…Good. You?”

“Yeah, fine.”

Bobbi couldn’t hold back her amusement anymore and burst into laughter. Jemma, meanwhile, just tossed her hands in the air and walked away with an “ugh, men.”

**

Mack looked up as James walked into the bedroom where she and Toni were hanging out and girl-talking. He threw himself on the nearby chair and smirked at them both.

“What?” Mack asked.

“Your – and I loosely use the term – boyfriend is here.”

“He is?!”

“Yeah. Dad just punched him.”

Mack goggled at him for a moment, then rolled off the bed, nearly falling over in her rush. She raced out of the room and down the hall towards the hangar. She slowed to a rather confused stop when she arrived, though, and saw her dad and Lance standing next to each other, talking and seeming friendly even. The only sign that there had been any sort of conflict was the ice pack her dad held to the back of his knuckles and the matching one Lance held over his face.

“Hello?” she began hesitantly.

Lance turned to her, the smile on his face growing wider, and Mack wanted to kiss him right there. But she wasn’t about to do anything of the sort, obviously, not when her dad was standing – perhaps unintentionally but Mack wouldn’t bet on it – in between them. A heavy awkwardness descended over the room, and then her dad coughed a very fake sounding cough. 

“Well, I better go find your mother. See you later.”

Mack felt frozen for the entire length of time it took him to leave the room. And then she pounced. The kiss was immediately ruined by Lance’s muffled yelp of pain.

“Sorry!” Mack said, pulling away. She reached up and lightly touched the injured spot. “I can’t believe he _punched_ you.”

Lance shrugged, but he couldn’t quite pull off the joke when he added, “I expected worse, to be honest, and I’m still wondering what your mom is gonna do.”

Mack smiled and raised her eyebrows quickly in agreement. Lance gave her a lascivious smile then, and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her a bit closer. 

“Just be gentle with me,” he teased.

Mack felt a flare of heat rush through her, and she looked around the room. They were far too exposed to – of course, they _were_ only a hallway or two from the locker room, bound to be unoccupied at this time of day when there were no active missions.

“Want a trip down memory lane?” she asked.

Lance cocked a curious eyebrow, and Mack grinned, reaching down to grab his hand and tug him quickly along behind her. They were almost there when he finally realized what her plan was, and he swore under his breath. Mack grinned and sped up slightly. She pushed the door open, looked around hopefully and when she, thankfully, confirmed they were alone, she closed it and locked it behind them.

It seemed like only moments later that Lance had her against one of the locker doors. She was, in fact, pretty sure it was the exact same locker door she got up close and personal with the very first time they had ever done this. She was groaning, clawing at him urgently, one leg hooked around his hips as she writhed against him. He kissed her like he was starving for it, and like he felt no pain in his face whatsoever. 

Mack exhaled in grateful anticipation when he reached for his belt. She lowered her leg down, standing shakily as she undressed herself. She accidentally bit her lip hard when Lance pushed his pants down with one hand even while reaching into his shirt pocket. And then she grinned when he removed a condom.

“Feeling optimistic?” she breathed out. 

“Feeling desperate. If it wasn’t you, it would have been the first willing – ow.”

Mack chuckled, letting her hand drift down from where she had just dug her nails into his arm until it rested in the hook of his elbow. He leaned forward and bent down then, placing his forehead on her shoulder and breathing heavily as he moved to put the condom on. 

And then he froze. “Oh, _bloody_ hell.”

Mack did not like the implications of that reaction. “What? What is it?”

“It’s no good. The wrapper must have…this can’t be happening.”

Mack closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, wondering if they were cursed. She wanted to cry. He stood straight again, staring at her with a wild, fraught expression. Mack stared back, licked her lips, and then forcefully pushed down every objection that sprang to her mind.

“What are the odds?” she whispered. 

Lance hesitated for all of a moment before nodding. She hopped up, wrapping her now naked legs around his waist and positioning herself just so and then – he was inside her. Mack squeezed her eyes shut as they began to move.

**

“I come in peace.”

Jemma looked up in surprise at the interruption. Not that he was interrupting much. She was having trouble concentrating on anything, knowing that Bobbi and May were currently taking Mack through the stages of her field assessment. 

Was it wrong to hope that she failed?

And Hunter showing up in the lab did nothing to brighten her mood. She was still kind of annoyed that he and Fitz were all buddy-buddy again. Maybe it would help if Jemma punched him too. She felt her fingers start to curl involuntarily before she dismissed the idea. There were much better ways to take him out if it came to it. On the other hand, maybe if she and Fitz _were_ welcoming and supportive, some of the bad boy appeal would fade away for Mack… An idea worth considering.

For now, she simply stared at him, waiting to see what he wanted. She was rather surprised when he held out his hand and revealed he was holding a package of biscuits. 

“I remember how much you used to love these. You always wanted Bob to pick some up when she was in Europe.”

She stared at them, wondering if taking them would imply some sort of approval. She didn’t want him to think she was so easily – 

“Simmons?”

Jemma sighed, and reached out to grab them. Hunter immediately put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet.

“I don’t like this,” she informed him.

“I didn’t expect you to.”

“But…I _grudgingly_ accept that it’s not my choice.” She hesitated, then added, “If you do anything, I mean _anything_ , to hurt my daughter…” 

“Simmons,” Hunter interrupted. “I can’t promise it will be all sunshine all the time, but I can promise that my feelings for your daughter are never going to change.” 

Jemma breathed out sharply through her nose, then looked down at her hands as she swallowed. 

“You know,” Hunter observed, taking his hands out of his pockets to lean on her bench. “I’ve quite missed you. I’ve stayed in touch pretty well with your husband, but you…how long has it been?”

“Oh God,” Jemma thought aloud. “I think, maybe, five years ago at that alien salmon run gone bad. When you accidentally got extraterrestrial sperm all over yourself.” She broke into laughter at the memory, and Hunter rolled his eyes.

“Figures you’d remember when I looked like an idiot.”

Jemma shrugged, biting the inside of her cheek lightly. “Well, not every time. Not even my brain has room enough for that many memories.”

“Ha. Ha.”

They were both silent for a while, and things became serious again. Hunter sighed, turning to face the lab door and resting his elbows on the bench instead. 

“You think she’ll pass?”

Jemma looked off to the side and pursed her lips together. “I hope not, to be honest,” she eventually admitted. “But I think she will.”

**

Mack paced back and forth, mumbling to herself she was so nervous. She thought back over every challenge Bobbi and May had put her through, second-guessing every choice she had made and every move that had slowed her down. She had finished all the tests at least, so that was something, but was her time good enough? Her form? Had she…zigged when she should have zagged? She hadn’t been able to beat May on a few things – even now, May was still too formidable – but surely they couldn’t base the final decision on whether she had beaten May. If that was the case, no one would be a field agent.

Mack exhaled roughly, standing still for a moment as she ran her hands down her face. What if she hadn’t – 

“Oh!” She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. 

The chest she was suddenly leaning against was far too familiar though and she smiled, turning her head to the side so she could kiss him.

“You seem nervous,” Lance mumbled once they separated again. “Don’t be.”

“I’ve wanted this all my life, Lance,” Mack confessed. “I’m too afraid to hope.”

“You were trained by May and Bobbi and Skye,” he reminded her. “You already have field experience. You’ll pass.”

Mack was about to speak when he leaned closer again and began to nuzzle her. “And if not,” he continued, his voice low and soft and sending little shocks all through Mack’s body. “You can just start your S.T.R.I.K.E. career earlier than expected.”

That shock wasn’t so little. Mack pulled back and looked at him, brow furrowing. “S.T.R.I.K.E. career?”

He tilted his head, seeming confused by her reaction. “Well…we’re not going to do this long distance thing forever, are we?”

Mack stepped completely away from him and turned to face him fully. “I – when I said we needed to discuss the logistics of our future, I have to admit…that wasn’t what I was expecting. So…you just assumed I’d – ”

“Mack,” he replied, rather condescendingly in her opinion. “I’m the director of S.T.R.I.K.E. I can’t just – ”

“Oh no, of course not. You have a _career_. I just have a bunch of silly letters after my name and have just spent all day trying to qualify for something I’ve always – and none of that even matters! How can you – ”

“Mack – ”

“No, honestly, how can you think I’d leave them now? I travelled through time, Hunter! I crossed multiple universes to save their lives, and so I’d have a chance to know them. Do you think I’d _just_ – ” 

“Do you think I would just come back here to take orders from Skye?” he interrupted. “Do you think I’ve spent 25 years building something to just abandon it now?”

“I’m not moving!”

“Neither am I!”

“Fine!” Mack couldn’t quite believe what she was saying – or hearing. “I guess that’s that then.”

“Yeah, guess so,” Hunter shot back, before turning away and walking down the hall. 

Mack was breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating, and she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. What had just happened? She didn’t – 

“Congratulations, sweetie!” 

She whirled to see her parents, Skye, Bobbi, Pops and May. They were coming towards her, all with large smiles on their faces, although some admittedly seemed a little more forced than others. 

“You passed,” May added. 

Mack burst into tears and rushed off.

**

He destroyed the scaffolding in a rage, but it didn’t help. Shooting the cowering, sycophantic workers in the head was a step in the right direction, though.

He had been so certain it was there.

There was one more place to look, one more chance before he had to admit the translation had been wrong again.


	9. Chapter 9

Fitz found Hunter in the hangar, where he stood nursing a bottle of beer and scowling. He tried not to roll his eyes as he remembered his quick discussion on the matter with Jemma. He’d say what he could to figure out what had happened and help them work through it. Their daughter’s happiness was what mattered, even if that meant… Fitz sighed.

“Gimme one of those,” he requested. 

Hunter stared at him warily, then reached to the side. He pulled a bottle from the pack and held it out. Fitz leaned against the wall next to him as he twisted the cap off. 

“So,” Fitz began, then cleared his throat. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing apparently,” Hunter replied, sounding somewhat bitter. “Not anymore.”

Fitz was unable to stop the eye roll that time and looked in the opposite direction to hide it. He wasn’t entirely sure whether Hunter or his daughter was being more unreasonably dramatic. 

“Mack can be…a very mercurial person,” Fitz observed. “Which means she can tend to overreact to things. I can say this because she gets it from me.”

Hunter shrugged and stared at the floor. “I don’t know if it’s an overreaction. There isn’t an easy answer here. And – you know, it’s not like I’m expecting some sort of 1950s gender role arrangement here. For God’s sake, I was married to Bobbi once. But she could relocate a lot easier than I – ”

“Relocate?!”

Fitz stared, horror-struck, at Hunter. He had never really thought about what Mack might do to be with Hunter. The fear of losing her to him after all, even though he and Jemma had slowly begun to accept the relationship, reared up. Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect and want their daughter to always be close by but – 

“Don’t worry, she says she’s not going to.”

Fitz exhaled in relief. Then he glanced over at Hunter. “So…what then?”

Hunter shrugged. “Long-distance, maybe. I don’t know how long that can last. Or…just…end it now.”

“I don’t think you really want that.”

“No, but…”

“Then I guess you gotta decide if losing her or losing your job would be worse,” Fitz pointed out, then lifted his bottle for a swig of beer.

**

At the knock on the door, Mack lifted her head off her mother’s lap. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, and her skin felt weird as the tears dried off it.

“Do you want me to see who it is?” her mom asked quietly.

Before Mack could answer, though, the door cracked open and her dad peeked inside. “Honey? There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.”

Mack sighed, then nodded. She pushed herself to a seated position and crawled off the bed. And then she nearly sobbed when she opened the door the rest of the way and saw how destroyed Lance looked. She took two steps forward and threw her arms around his neck.

“I thought I was never going to see you again,” she confessed in a shaky voice.

Lance clung to her, his own embrace as tight as hers. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deep. “I’m sorry, Mack,” he said, voice rough. “I – of course I’ll move back here.”

Mack shook her head forcefully. “I can’t let – ”

“Listen to me,” he said, pulling back and holding her at arm’s length. He looked directly into her eyes, and he seemed so certain. “It’s just a job. There’s nothing keeping me there. Not compared to what’s drawing me here.”

“Really?”

Lance nodded, and Mack launched herself at him again. Their mouths met hungrily, and Mack pulled him even closer. Some small part of her mind registered her dad awkwardly mumble something, turn to face a couple different directions, and then step away to join her mother in her bedroom. The door closed behind him, and Mack returned her whole focus to the man in front of her.

**

“Wake up.”

Mack groaned into the crook of her arms. 

“Come on,” Lauren teased. “You have a few weeks still left of the session. You’re worse than the seniors.”

Mack finally sat up, sighing. “I’m just tired.”

“Talking to your _lover_ again?” Toni asked with far too much sarcasm for so early in the morning.

“No,” Mack sneered. “I actually went to bed early last night too. I’ve just been exhausted lately. Ooh! Is that bacon? They didn’t have any when I went through the line.”

Lauren looked at her tray and pulled it away possessively. “Get your own!”

Mack pouted and blinked her eyes, and Lauren sighed, pushing her tray toward the middle of the table. Mack grinned and grabbed a slice.

“Mmm, meat,” she muttered as she chewed.

“Where’s your food if you’ve been through the line already?” Toni asked, confused.

Mack shrugged. “I ate it.”

“Already?!” 

“I was hungry!” Mack replied defensively.

Toni shook her head. “Exhausted, munchies, and sorry sis, a bit irritable. PMS?”

“Ha ha.”

Lauren snorted. “That, or you’re pregnant.”

All Mack could hear was a rushing sound in her ears and she felt paralyzed. 

“Mack?” Lauren asked. “Everything OK?”

“Oh my God.”

“Mack?” Toni looked at her curiously. 

Mack’s mouth opened and closed as she desperately tried to count back to her last period – things had been irregular, and she had assumed it had something to do with the stress of time travel, but now…now that she thought about it, she did have one shortly after getting back. But not since Lance visited. And they had sex. Without a condom. 

Mack squeaked.

**

_“What about you, Fitz? How are things with you?”_

_“Oh,” Fitz said, his head tilted to one side as he held the phone between his ear and shoulder. “Fine, fine.”_

_“Sciencing?”_

_“Yeah. In between changing nappies.”_

_There was a noticeable pause, and when Hunter spoke again, he sounded hesitant. “Look, we’ve all had bad days, but aren’t the girls a little old for nappies?”_

_Fitz narrowed his eyes briefly, then started laughing. “How long has it been since we talked?”_

_“Jesus, another one?! You two are like bunnies.”_

_Fitz shrugged. He was about to speak when everything went to hell. He should have known better than to try to multitask. “James! James, no! Ugh, gross.”_

_“What is it?”_

_“Let’s just say that changing boys is an entirely different experience than changing girls. Once they are, ah, unencumbered – well, you’ve seen a loose hose before, I’m sure.”_

_After a loud snort, Hunter observed, “Better you than me, mate.”_

**

Mack’s parents had taught her the importance of double-checking her work and replicating experiments. Well, and of birth control, but not all lessons stuck, apparently. Which was why she had taken three different pregnancy tests in the last three days. Distressingly, they all showed positive results. Mack whined softly in the back of her throat, finally acknowledged the truth, and picked up her phone.

Lance answered immediately. And at her hello, he immediately knew something was wrong.

“It’s just – I don’t – remember in the locker room the other week?”

“Yes, Mack, I remember. Senility hasn’t kicked in yet.”

“OK. Remember how I said ‘what are the odds?’”

“…Yes.”

“Well…it seems an excessive degree of fertility is hereditary. Or fecundity, depending on your preferred disciplinary terminology.”

There was no answer.

“Lance?”

“I’m sorry,” he managed to say, his voice a bit gravelly. “Are you saying you’re…”

“Knocked up. In the family way. Expecting. Got a bun in the oven.”

“Oh my God,” he breathed out. 

Mack nodded, her bravado failing. She pressed her lips together and swallowed, letting her eyes shut. “I guess – we should talk about what’s the best…option.”

“Mack, switch to hologram.”

“I don’t – I want some sort of – ”

“You want to hide, I know. But…I think we need to see each other’s faces during this.”

**

_“Sweetie, why are you crying?”_

_Mack’s only response was a shake of her head as she buried her face deeper in her pillows. Jemma entered the room and sat on the bed next to her. She reached out, ran a hand softly down Mack’s back, and waited for her to calm down._

_“Did something happen at school?” she eventually asked._

_Mack sighed loudly, flipping to her back to stare up at Jemma. “No, not really. It was afterwards. I – Maddie and I had a fight.”_

_“Ah,” Jemma replied, nodding in understanding._

_Mack didn’t seem to notice Jemma’s clear awareness of the significance. She sat up fully, then, and reached out for the monkey that she’d had since she was a baby. It was missing one eye and had a poorly repaired seam out of which it had lost much of its stuffing. Jemma made fun of it a lot, but she secretly loved that disgusting thing. She almost reprimanded Mack for how she was twisting it around in her hands._

_Instead she said, rather leadingly, “If you need to talk about something, you can tell me anything.”_

_Mack hesitated, then forced a quick smile. “It wasn’t…just a fight. We broke up. We were – dating.”_

_Jemma nodded. “I’d guessed. Your dad too.”_

_“You did?!”_

_“Mack, darling, you’re hardly subtle. And you could have told us, you know. Your dad and I only hope that you make smart, healthy choices about who to love and trust, that’s it. The sex or gender of the person isn’t even on our list of worries. And you know, frankly, I don’t think I can approve of someone who makes you cry like this. That Maddie was never good enough for you.”_

_“OK, Mom, stop.”_

_Jemma smiled and hugged her daughter tightly. “Never be afraid to talk to us, OK?”_

**

Fitz watched with narrowed eyes as Mack wrung her hands nervously. She and Toni had come home unexpectedly for the weekend and requested a family meeting. After waiting for James to get home from school, she was about to finally tell them what was making her so anxious. Fitz felt like he had managed to develop a bit of an ulcer in the meantime as he came up with all sorts of scenarios.

“So,” Mack began, before clearing her throat quickly. “I’ve – I’ve – well…”

She looked at her sister, who nodded encouragingly, and then she took a deep breath. “I’ve…put in my resignation at the Academy.”

Fitz blinked. 

“That’s it?” James asked, somewhat annoyed. “I thought you were pregnant or something. Can I go do my homework now?”

Fitz almost laughed at his son’s response until he saw Mack’s very pale face. Toni reached out and put a hand over hers. 

“It’s…that, too. I won’t be able to go into the field right away because I’m…going to have a baby. Probably. We’re still talking about, but we’re pretty sure we want to keep it.”

Fitz dropped onto the couch behind him, feeling his heart start to race. This was it. This was what was going to kill him, after everything. Next to him, Jemma brought a hand to her mouth and sobbed once, loudly.

Mack’s face crumpled. “Mom. Mommy, please – I know you’re upset, but I’m really going to need you during – ”

“I’m going to be a grandma!” Jemma declared as a wide smile formed through her tears. Fitz gawked, not sure if he was more astonished by her reaction or by the thought that that meant he was going to be someone’s grandfather. 

Mack laughed in surprise, then reached up to wipe away her own tears. “Lance is a bit thrown – he kind of assumed that wasn’t really a possibility for his life anymore. And I’m not sure we’re ready. I would have liked to have more time with just the two of us, and I was finally going to be a field agent and now will have to put that off for a while, but – ” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ve learned from the best example that unexpected families can be the most wonderful adventures.”

Jemma shook her head, sniffling. “You were all planned,” she reminded everyone unconvincingly.

The varying expressions of exasperated disbelief made Fitz laugh out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. Yeah, OK. The crazy baby-making/lack of baby-making control is just a running joke at this point. ~~And I might be making sly commentary on how easily people get pregnant in fanfic and how happily they just accept it with no life plans overhaul when they do.~~
> 
> I wonder if anyone’s guessed what this is loosely inspired by yet. If you have, don’t spoil others but send me a private message with your guess!


	10. Chapter 10

“Fitz.”

He could just hear Jemma over the sound of the running water, but her tone clearly indicated she had found the item he had left on their bed.

“Hmm?” 

“What is this?”

“Present.” His response was garbled around his toothbrush.

“For me or you?”

Fitz nearly choked on his toothpaste as he tried not to laugh. He spit quickly and rinsed. He was still wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he opened the door and leaned against the frame. He grinned at Jemma’s skeptical expression and the way she was holding the lace contraption out in front of her. She looked up and gave him a _look_ and Fitz waggled his eyebrows.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “I’m not wearing this. I’m a grandmother.”

“Not yet,” Fitz pointed out, moving toward her predatorily. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “And you’re not my grandmother.” 

She hesitated, and Fitz raised one eyebrow in challenge. She was never able to back down, and that moment was no exception. She shot him a saucy look in reply before breaking away and heading towards the bathroom. The lingerie flapped along behind her. 

Fitz moved quickly, unbuckling and kicking off his pants and ripping his shirt over his head. He made his way closer to the bed, reminding himself to sit down normally rather than toss himself on it. The last thing he needed just then was to throw his back out or something. He leaned back against the pillows, clearing his throat as he ran a hand down his stomach, feeling strangely nervous. He kind of loved the fact that she still gave him butterflies.

And then she was back. Fitz’ mouth went dry at the sight in front of him. She posed dramatically against the door, fighting a bit of a smile, and then pushed off it. She made her way to the bed, then crawled up it, almost slithering towards him and giving him one hell of a view. As soon as she was close enough, she leaned in and kissed him, catching his lip between her teeth and tugging slightly once she backed away.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“How do you do it?” he asked in reply, tilting his head to the side and holding his mouth just centimeters from hers.

“Do what?”

“Get more beautiful every year?”

“Virgin sacrifices,” she responded, deadpan.

Fitz threw his head back and laughed. “You’re kind of creepy,” he pointed out.

“You love me anyway.”

“I really, really do.”

And then they didn’t speak anymore. Fitz reached one hand up, pulling her close and into a passionate kiss. They twisted and turned, each trying to get the upper hand and each unwilling to submit. Jemma groaned in his ear, and he reached down to fondle her, knowing it took her longer these days to – but he got something of a surprise to discover she was already quite wet. It just spurred him on faster, and soon he was inside her. 

Jemma clawed at his back as she lifted her hips to meet his. He was pretty sure, he hoped even, that he would have marks there in the morning, red lines where her nails had gouged at him. The hot water in the shower would sting him and remind him how much she wanted him then, still. How very _not_ old they were, grandkid on the way or not. He moved to kiss her again, their mouths open and hot breath exchanging in the small space between them. 

Jemma called out suddenly – his name mixed with nonsense – and shuddered around him. Her climax triggered his own, and somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he heard the sound of fabric tearing as he grabbed at the lace bunched around her hip. 

It was some time before he heard much besides his galloping pulse, but eventually, Jemma laughed. Fitz forced his head up and then turned to face his wife, dropping back down onto the mattress. He grinned rather stupidly at her, and she rolled her eyes.

“Hope you didn’t spend too much money on this,” she observed, lifting one tattered end of the nightie up. Fitz tried to focus on what she was saying and not the skin she revealed. 

Fitz shook his head and took a deep breath. “Worth every penny.”

“We’re going to be so sore in the morning.”

“ _Worth it._ ”

**

It was a different kind of soreness Fitz was feeling as he collapsed onto the bed a few weeks later.

“How can she have so much stuff?”

Jemma smiled absent-mindedly from where she was sitting at the desk. “It would have been easier if you just unpacked her stuff from the Academy instead of moving her room here too,” she reminded him before focusing on her calendar again.

“I told you, I am not sharing a wall with them again. Not all of us can sleep through anything like you.”

Jemma didn’t rise to the bait and after several moments passed with no response, Fitz pulled his head up with a groan. 

“Everything OK?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, flipping through her calendar again. “It’s just…my period is two weeks late.”

For one brief moment, an irrational wave of panic surged through Fitz. And then he realized what she was saying and pressed his lips together hard so he wouldn’t laugh. 

“God, if you had said that 15 or 20 years ago…”

“Thanks for the support,” Jemma said with a pout. She put the calendar down and walked over to the bed, climbing on and curling up next to him. “I mean you know that things have been irregular down there but never like this. I guess that explains why I’ve been feeling so weird lately.”

“Weird how?” Fitz asked, wrapping his arm around her and lightly stroking his fingers over her shoulder.

“Having trouble sleeping so I’m tired all the time. A bit cranky. And bloaty. I think I’ve gained some weight.”

“Hmm. I hadn’t noticed,” he said, a little too sincerely, and Jemma half-heartedly smacked his stomach. Fitz grinned at the ceiling, then turned to look at her again. “Hormones are supposed to help, right?”

Jemma nodded.

Fitz shrugged. “Well, we pulled Dr. Turner out of retirement for Mack, so you may as well take advantage of it. Go see him when he gets here and have him prescribe something.”

“I guess,” she agreed, pouting again. “That just seems so…ugh, going on medicine to treat menopause. How did that happen?”

Fitz laughed. “So we’re getting old. You’re still sexy as hell.”

**

_Fitz glanced up at Jemma as she walked into the lab. She had something of a death-row expression on her face. He immediately felt worried._

_“Jemma?”_

_She looked over at him, seeming somehow surprised to find him there. She struggled to find words, swallowed and shook her head._

_“How was the check-up? Did Dr. Turner – I mean, everything’s OK, right?_

_She breathed in, blinked several times, and then shook her head again. Fitz tried not to panic as he set his tablet down and then hurried over to her. He grabbed her hands and held them tight._

_“What is it? You can tell me. Is something wrong with Mack?”_

_She shook her head again, and then blurted, “I’m pregnant.”_

_Fitz wasn’t entirely sure if he was actually screaming or if it was just in his head. He stumbled back a few steps and stared incredulously at her. “But…”_

_“I know.”_

_“You said – !”_

_“I know.”_

_“Breastfeeding, though!”_

_“I_ know. _”_

_Fitz reached up and tugged at his hair in distress. And then he laughed. “Another baby?”_

_Jemma slowly began to smile. “I know.”_

\------

_Fitz cringed at the very loud, very shrill shrieks coming from the playground the city had built just a few miles from the Playground. Then he looked down where his wife had practically burrowed under his arm and into his side to protect herself from the unseasonably chilly wind. She held a Styrofoam cup with one hand, while the other was hooked around his hip beneath his jacket, and she watched the girls with a sweetly protective look in her eye. He took a sip from his own cup and smiled in contentment. And then Toni screamed bloody murder again, and he winced._

_“I can’t believe you’re drinking decaf,” he observed, gazing down at Jemma again. “Course I probably should be too. I’m anxious enough with the way they’re getting on my last nerve.”_

_Jemma smiled, rather curiously knowing. “I have to drink decaf. The alternative wouldn’t be good for the baby.”_

_Fitz spilled his drink all over his lap. After swearing up a storm and mopping up as much as he could, he turned to stare at her. “Huh?”_

_“Ready to do it all again?”_

_“But…we’ve been so careful.”_

_She shrugged. “Not careful enough, apparently.”_

_Fitz felt his lips twitching, and then he didn’t bother stopping his wide smile. He pulled her into a quick, heartfelt kiss, breaking away to rest his forehead against hers._

_The moment was shattered by another high-pitched scream, this time from Mack. He shook his head._

_“Promise me this one will be quieter.”_

_Jemma laughed. “I cannot guarantee that.”_

**

Mack nearly lost her balance as Lance tilted her backwards and kissed her. Their lips couldn’t quite connect, she was smiling so wide, and she wrapped her arms around his neck for support. And when one hand slid along her body to press softly at her belly, somewhere over the little tadpole, she felt even happier. Eventually, he pulled her back up so she was standing straight again, and he broke the kiss, but he didn’t release her from his embrace.

“Hi,” he whispered. “How are you?”

“You’re here.”

“For good,” he confirmed. 

“Then I’ve never been better.”

Lance smiled, leaned forward and kissed her again quickly. “And the munchkin?”

Mack laughed. “Don’t know. The doctor will get here in a few days, the one who delivered me. I’ll have a check-up then.”

“Good.”

“Meanwhile, Official S.T.R.I.K.E. Liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D., we should get you settled. I – ”

“I am not carrying all your crap,” Big Mack shouted from the ramp of the Bus.

Mack started laughing, and Lance rolled his eyes. 

“Gotta go get my crap,” he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

**

Fitz unbuttoned and removed his shirt quickly. He stared at the stain for a while, trying to decide if he should toss it in the hamper or the bin. He wasn’t entirely sure the solution he had spilled on it wouldn’t destroy the shirt – or the washing machine – so he went with option number two. Then he turned to the closet to pick out a new one. Before he even had a chance to start flipping through the hangers, though, the door opened and Jemma entered.

“Hey,” he greeted her.

She looked up at him, naturally surprised to see him there instead of the lab and seeming a bit distracted. “Hi,” she finally mumbled.

“Everything OK? Did Dr. Turner give you…estrogen pills or whatever you’re supposed to take?”

“No,” she said, pausing to clear her throat. “No, he – he gave me prenatal vitamins.”

Fitz had just happened to grab the sleeve of a shirt as she spoke. He pulled too hard in surprise and literally toppled into the closet as the shirt, its hanger, and ultimately the rod fell. He groaned in pain as he turned to sit and rubbed at the knee that had caught his weight. Then he pushed some of the shirts off him and looked up at Jemma, who had walked over and was peering into the closet.

“Come again,” he said.

“You heard me.”

He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. He guessed that hyperventilating and crying wouldn’t solve anything but he had never thought she’d ever – 

“Wh – ” he cleared his throat. “Um, who? W-why?”

Jemma’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he trailed off, and then she barked a laugh. “I didn’t cheat on you, you ridiculous man.”

“OK,” he said, accepting it easily; Jemma being unfaithful was more unbelievable than the fact that he had somehow managed to… “OK – but need I remind you of the tragic day 18 years ago when you – ”

“ _I_ didn’t do anything,” Jemma interrupted, with a roll of her eyes.

Fitz pulled himself to his feet, then grabbed her hands and tugged her over to the bed. They sat down on the edge, facing each other. “Of course not, not personally. I let you do pretty much whatever you want with my penis but even I have my limits. That doesn’t change the fact that…” Fitz waved his hand over his crotch that apparently wasn’t as out to pasture as he thought.

Jemma shrugged. “Dr. Turner said vasectomies have been known to fail even years later.”

He gaped at her. “How come nobody told me that?” he practically shouted. 

Jemma pulled her hands out of his to gesture broadly. “Do you know how astronomically low the odds are, Fitz? It’s not my fault you are _weirdly_ virile! Need I remind _you_ that James made it through two forms of birth control?”

Fitz felt absurdly smug, and he couldn’t stop his grin. “Yeah. Yeah, I am, aren’t I?”

She threw her hands up. “Now is not the time, Fitz.”

He stood up, stepping away from the bed, the shock returning as he continued to process the news. “Don’t just put this on me, anyway. We both know the only 100 percent effective birth control is abstinence and I don’t exactly see you keeping your hands off me.”

“Pretty easy to do so right now, let me tell you.”

He faced her again. “Can we go back to _how_ because, Jemma, I mean, you’re – you’re – you’re – ”

“I’m _what_?”

“Dried up!”

“Ugh,” she groaned as she fell back onto the bed. “Clearly not!” And then she sat up again and whipped a pillow at him, hard. “ _Dried. Up._ ”

He caught the pillow just before it struck him, even as there was a knock on the door. It opened a crack and James popped his head in.

“Everything OK? I heard shouting.”

“Yep!” Fitz replied as cheerfully as possible.

“Everything’s fine, sweetie!” Jemma said at the same time. 

He gave them a suspicious look and closed the door again. Fitz turned to face Jemma, and she stared back at him, eyes wide and shoulders heaving with each breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAHA. And I bet you thought time travel was the craziest part of this AU. YOU THOUGHT WRONG, BEYOTCHES. (This chapter is dedicated to Popsicle86 who was the first, as far as I know, to guess where this was going, and typhanni/notapepper, who’s always praising Reprise for being so realistic about pregnancy and parenthood. How do you like them apples?)
> 
> I promise Martin Short will not show up with an obnoxious fake accent. Also, let’s pretend these online anecdotes about very late vasectomy failures are true and not cases of willful ignorance (yeah, sure, buddy. I’m sure if you go far enough back in your family tree, you _can_ find red hair…)


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m fine, by the way, thanks for asking,” Jemma said pointedly.

Fitz closed his eyes, his mouth opening apologetically as he shook his head and stepped closer again. He knelt in front of her, perhaps wisely not grimacing at the hard surface beneath him. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t be – how are you, really?”

Jemma shrugged, reaching out for his hands again. “I don’t know. I mean, go ahead and take advantage of my complete and utter shock, because it will be my turn to freak out soon enough.”

The corners of his mouth pulled down as he fought a smile. “But – you’re healthy?”

She nodded, her gaze turning soft as she raised one hand to cup his cheek.

“What did Dr. Turner say was the next step?”

“Just…to take care of myself and talk it over with you.”

Fitz nodded, then hesitated. He took a deep breath, licked his lower lip, and then made himself be the one to say it out loud. “Jemma…putting aside the fact that we’re not really in a stage of life for this, it wasn’t just because we decided three was a nice number and wanted to stop worrying about it.”

She nodded in agreement, her face showing she knew exactly what he was going to say.

“You needed bed rest with Mack,” he reminded her unnecessarily. “You needed fluids you puked so much with Toni. You needed a C-section for James when he decided to come out ass-first and squeezing his cord out before him. And that was when, I’m sorry, darling, that was when you were much younger. And that was when our bits and pieces were much younger too. I know that late pregnancies are common now, and medical science has come a long way over the last couple decades before you even bring in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s endless resources but…the rates of birth de – ”

“Fitz,” she interrupted firmly. “I know. You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. The odds of this fetus even lasting to term are – ”

“Slim to none.”

“Yeah.”

“So…we’re agreed then? We just help nature along.”

“ – keep it anyway. What?”

“What?!”

Fitz was speechless as they stared at each other. Jemma’s expression was defiant and somehow as shocked at his response as he was at hers. He tried his best not to immediately lose his mind. She couldn’t be serious. He closed his eyes and shook his head, battling a strange sort of anger. And then he pushed himself up and away, needing to escape.

**

_The door to the room opened slowly and Fitz peeked his head in. The effort was appreciated but unnecessary, as Jemma was awake and feeding the baby. She smiled at him and waved him inside. Fitz moved quickly but softly, sitting next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He leaned closer then, lifting one hand to swipe a finger down James’ chest._

_“How are you two?”_

_“Fine. What’s going on in the lab?”_

_Fitz fought a smile. Perhaps she was a bit predictable. During the last couple months of her pregnancy and the first week or so of James’ life, she guessed she had asked that question at least a hundred times._

_“Nothing you need to worry about.”_

_Jemma sighed. That had been his answer at least a hundred times. Then they both were silent, watching James as he suckled. After a moment, Jemma turned to look at Fitz._

_“I’ve been thinking,” she began, feeling strangely nervous._

_Fitz nodded in encouragement._

_“I – Fitz, I_ love _our children. I’m so happy with our life and our family, but…I’m not sure I can go through another pregnancy.”_

_She couldn’t quite gauge his reaction, but if she had to wager, it was relief. She knew this last one especially had thrown him. She could still remember his pale face and desperately supportive tone as they wheeled her into the operating room._

_“OK,” he said. “So what do we do to make sure? Because we apparently cannot figure out birth control.”_

_“I think, maybe…” She paused to reposition James and to give herself some time. “A vasectomy.”_

_His eyes widened and his mouth fell open and he crossed his legs protectively and seemingly involuntarily. If the topic wasn’t so serious, Jemma would have laughed. He could be such a_ man _sometimes. His only verbal response was a tiny squeak._

_“Fitz,” she explained slowly. “It’s less invasive than, um, fixing me. It’s theoretically reversible if we go insane and decide to try for more.”_

_Fitz nodded, still a bit dazed._

_“I don’t have to go back on the pill,” she added, and then she pulled out her big gun. “And…we wouldn’t have to use condoms anymore.”_

_At that, Fitz’ eyebrows lifted high on his forehead and he began to smile. Jemma rolled her eyes._ Such _a man._

__

\------

_A few days before the…procedure, Hunter, Mack and Coulson threw a, as Hunter called it, funeral for Fitz’ penis. It involved lots of alcohol. He was currently face-down on the table, mumbling about the different stages of the process and where exactly they were going to be cutting him and and and Fitz wondered if it was too late to find a different solution._

 _“Seriously, mate, I can’t believe you agreed to this,” Hunter observed. “That’s your_ manhood _.”_

_Fitz lifted his head and scowled at Hunter. “At least we know mine works.”_

_Hunter snorted. “Trust me. I’ve never had a single complaint about how mine works.”_

**

“Give me one of those,” Fitz demanded as he entered the break room and found Big Mack and Hunter splitting a six-pack.

Mack looked at him, clearly curious about his tone, and handed him a bottle. Fitz twisted the top off and glugged down a good portion before he lowered it again. 

“Like old times, eh?” Hunter asked, somewhat cautiously. 

Fitz scoffed. He would never have guessed this is how their lives would be now. Mack obviously in denial about how much he and Bobbi were pining after each other, Hunter expecting a baby with Kenzie, and fatherhood looming at him again as well. He took another drink.

“Everything OK, Turbo?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Dad – I can call you Dad, right?” 

The attempt to cheer him up might have worked under other circumstances but not just then. The grin on Hunter’s face was especially grating.

“Not if you want to live long enough to become one yourself.”

“How ‘bout Grandpa?”

Oh God, Fitz thought. This kid might feel more comfortable calling him grandpa, at least around friends. It will be the same age as its niece or nephew, after all. Fitz was pretty sure he was going to go nuts soon. He buried his face in his free hand.

“We’re gonna end up on a talk show,” he mumbled.

Mack chuckled in agreement.

**

“Emergency girls’ night,” Jemma announced as she walked into Skye’s office. “Call Bobbi in.”

“Oh!” Skye seemed both alarmed and confused, but she didn’t hesitate to lean over and press a button on her phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah?” Bobbi’s voice came out of the speaker.

“Come here, bring ice cream,” Skye instructed. Jemma shot her a look. “A lot of ice cream. And liquor?”

Jemma shook her head.

“No liquor,” Skye concluded, hanging up the phone. 

Jemma plopped onto the couch with a sigh. And then she immediately burst into tears. She heard an _oh!_ from Skye, and moments later, the cushion shifted from her weight and Jemma felt Skye’s arms around her. Jemma leaned closer, taking comfort from her friend and probably getting snot all over her shirt.

“Is it Mack and Hunter again? Or…did you and Fitz have a fight?”

Jemma simply cried harder, and Skye hugged her tighter. Jemma started to calm after a few minutes, but before she could begin to explain, they were interrupted. 

“Who do I have to beat up?”

Jemma laughed through her tears, sitting up and wiping at her cheeks as she faced Bobbi. Bobbi entered the room, kicking the door shut behind her and walking close enough to deposit the ice cream and spoons on the table. She squeezed in on Jemma’s other side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“Out with it,” she said.

“I’m…” Jemma breathed shakily, then blurted the rest. “Pregnant.”

Jemma wasn’t sure what she was expecting but immediate laughter from both of them wasn’t it. When she didn’t laugh along with them, though, they both trailed off into silence.

“You’re serious?!” Bobbi exclaimed.

Skye’s brow furrowed. “How is that even possible? Because I remember Fitz whining and limping around for _days_ as if a little incision was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.”

“Apparently, it can like… _reconnect_!”

Skye gaped. “They should really put that on the label.”

Jemma exhaled sharply, not quite a laugh. “I mean, they do, but…”

“You’re handling this far better than I would be,” Bobbi observed.

Jemma looked around the room skeptically. “Are you forgetting the part where I was bawling just now?”

“No, I’m not. But that seems like a pretty reasonable response. I would be – I don’t even know.”

“How’s Fitz handling it?” Skye asked.

Jemma sighed, facing forward and finally reaching out for the ice cream. “Not well,” she admitted. “He – he thinks it’s too risky. Wants to nip it in the bud.”

“Is he right?”

Jemma glanced at Bobbi, then answered her question with something between a nod and a shake of her head. “Yeah, probably.”

“But…?”

She shrugged. “We’ve beaten the odds before. The fact that this is even a question is proof enough of that.”

Bobbi raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment, before grabbing a spoon herself. 

“Besides,” Jemma added. “We make really cute babies.” 

“OK,” Skye said. “Devil’s advocate here, but are you sure you want to make this one? I mean – your grandkid will be older than him or her. Pregnancy is hard enough on the body before you add in arthritis. And, you know, you’ll be past retirement age by the time the kid’s getting its license.”

Jemma couldn’t answer; Bobbi was laughing again too loudly. 

“I’m sorry,” she choked out. “It’s not funny. I know it’s not.”

Jemma felt her lips twitching. “It kind of is,” she agreed, breaking into giggles. “Oh my God, I can’t be seriously thinking about going through with this!” And then her giggles turned into full-on guffaws. Soon enough, she, Bobbi and Skye were attempting to hold each other upright as they laughed.

**

The manic hilarity couldn’t last though and Jemma was back to feeling sad and scared again, curled up in bed. She also felt alone and not just because of the cold, undisturbed sheets on the other side of the mattress. She glanced at the clock and sighed.

And then the door slowly, carefully opened, and Jemma – perhaps cowardly – closed her eyes to pretend she was asleep. She heard him sigh and then the sound of his shoes being kicked to the corner. A zipper, and the rustle of fabric, and later the clunk of his watch being placed on the bedside table. The mattress sank down when he sat on it, creating a slight slope that Jemma just barely twisted toward. 

It wasn’t until he stretched out next to her that she could smell the scent of alcohol on him. She was simultaneously annoyed and jealous. But when he wrapped his arm around her, letting his hand cover her own, palm to palm, where it rested on the mattress next to her, and nuzzled the back of her neck, all she felt was longing and love and regret for the way she had handled things.

“Fitz,” she whispered.

His hand twitched in response and then he breathed in deeply. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. I’m…sorry for…I know I’m being crazy. But I’m not ready to do anything that can’t be undone.”

Jemma could feel how tense he was, but all he said was, “Can we talk about it in the morning? Or, I don’t know, maybe in a couple days. I…need to think.”

She sighed. “All right.”

They were both silent for a beat, and then Fitz shifted close enough to kiss just behind her ear. “I love you,” he murmured.

Jemma squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry, then threaded their fingers together. “I love you too.”


	12. Chapter 12

_Just because he couldn’t walk or even crawl yet didn’t make James any easier to hold onto as Jemma tried to slather sunscreen onto his pudgy arms. She finally managed to cover most of him, though, and wiped the excess off on her own freckling skin. Then she bent down and checked the strap of his little hat, before letting him continue entertaining himself in the sand. At least he had stopped trying to eat it._

_Jemma leaned back to bask in the sun and dream of the ice cream that Fitz and the girls would be back with soon. She had balked at Fitz’ suggestion of a beach day at first, convinced they were far too busy in the lab and it would be far too much work keeping an eye on all the kids. But he had persisted, and Jemma could admit now it had been a good idea._

_“What a cute kid.”_

_“Thanks,” Jemma said, twisting to look up and shielding her eyes against the sun. She hadn’t even heard someone approaching._

_Her heart leapt into her throat even as she leapt to her feet, grabbing James as she moved and holding him close. She turned to the side, keeping James as far away from the danger as possible._

\------

_Fitz was doing double duty, licking his cone and Jemma’s in turn as both rapidly melted onto his hands. Both girls, he could see, were already sticky and covered in their own. Ice cream had not been a smart idea._

_“Who’s Mommy talking to?” Toni asked suddenly._

_Fitz looked up and promptly dropped both cones in the sand. He grabbed the girls by their arms, maybe a little too hard judging by their immediate protests, and knelt down, pulling them both to face him._

_“Listen to me,” he ordered. “Run as fast as you can to the SUV. Kenzie, do you remember the code to unlock the door?”_

_“Yes, Daddy,” she answered, eyes wide and filling with tears._

_“Good. And what do you do if someone you don’t know tries to grab you?”_

_“Bite, kick and scream,” they both said dutifully._

_Fitz nodded. “Bite, kick and scream. When you get in the car, lock the door and hide in the back, where the windows are tinted. Do_ not _open the door again or even make a peep until Mommy or I say the secret word. Do you remember what that is?”_

_“Yes, Daddy,” they whispered, little lips trembling. Fitz pulled them into a quick hug._

_“Don’t cry, don’t be scared. Silly Daddy just worries a lot, you know that.” He stood up, and gave them soft little pushes to their backs. “Go now. Hold each other’s hand.”_

_He waited a second to make sure they got a good start, and then he was moving himself. It wasn’t particularly easy to run across the beach, and he knew he hardly caught anyone off-guard when he arrived, kicking sand onto the blanket as he forced himself between Ward and Jemma._

_Ward held his hands up in surrender, smiling that smug asshole smirk of his. God, Fitz hated him. His only comfort was that James was demonstrating his lung capacity at the moment and so was drawing far too much attention to their little group for Ward to try anything._

_“Relax,” Ward said, clearly amused. “Just saying hello.” He tilted his head in the direction the girls had run, and Fitz felt his blood boil. “You have beautiful children.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fitz demanded, even as Jemma warned, “Don’t you dare threaten them.”_

_Ward chuckled, slowly backed up and walked away. “Have a good day,” he said._

_As soon as he was gone, Fitz turned to Jemma, reaching out with shaky hands to make sure she was safe and sound. She pulled James closer, shushing him with soothing tones._

_“So much for a nice day off,” she observed._

_Fitz looked around, breathed out slowly, and then bent down to pick up the blanket. “Let’s go get the girls and get back to the base.”_

**

Hunter wanted to laugh at Mack’s scowl, but he suspected that would not go over well.

“I can’t believe you’re going on a field mission. You’ve only been here a little while, and you’re already going on field missions. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here for the foreseeable future.”

He leaned forward to kiss her so she wouldn’t see his smile, or his relief that she couldn’t get into too much trouble or danger in the base. Although if anyone could, she’d probably find a way. 

“It’s an intel meet,” he pointed out. “Not even a real mission.”

“You’re wearing tac gear,” she argued.

“Precaution.” _Mostly_ , he added silently to himself. 

“Well,” Mack continued, still pouting. “Just, you know, be careful.”

“I will,” he promised, darting forward to kiss her one more time. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He was halfway out of the room before he realized what they’d said. His face blanched, and he turned to face Mack again. She started laughing at his reaction.

“It’s not a surprise,” she reminded him. “The only thing shocking about it is we’ve never formally said that before.” 

“Right,” he responded, still feeling a bit dazed. “Right, OK.” 

He left the room then, an almost embarrassing happiness bubbling up in him. He didn’t think anything could bring his mood down. 

“Hey,” Bobbi called out, interrupting his thoughts. He turned, spotting her halfway down the hall. “Don’t die out there,” she commanded, a little smile on her face. 

He nodded, secretly pleased to be getting that order after so long, and then continued on his way.

“You’ve got a kid to think about now,” she called out to remind him. 

There was something ever so slightly off about her tone, but before he could figure out what it was, she added, “And another one on the way.”

Hunter stopped in his tracks, tilted his head back with a loud sigh, then kept walking. Bobbi’s laughter followed him.

**

“Hey, kiddo.”

Mack looked up in surprise. “What are you doing here?” 

She stood to hug Pops properly, giving him a peck to the cheek while she was at it.

He shrugged in response. “May and I were feeling a bit bored, so we thought we’d come visit. See if Skye needed us for anything.”

Mack fought a grin. Some things never changed, no matter how old they got or which universe they were in. She blinked quickly at the thought, as she was struck with so many memories of Pops and May over the years.

“So, I hear you’re going to have a baby.”

Her mouth dropped open. She supposed she couldn’t be that surprised that the gossip had traveled to them already. And then she shrugged. He shook his head, with a low whistle.

“I kind of want to punch Hunter.”

“Dad beat you to it.”

He grinned and pulled her into another hug. “I guess I’ll get over it then and just be happy I’ve got a great-grandkid on the way.”

Mack felt a bit like something squeezed at her heart, and like she was going to burst into tears. She decided to blame her sentimentality on the hormones. But the conversation just solidified something that had been lurking in the back of her mind.

“Pops,” she said, sitting down and pulling him into the chair next to her. “I wanted to say – that is, if it’s a boy, I want to name it Phillip. You’ve meant so much to me all these years, here and…and there, and I just need to honor that somehow.”

He looked down and was silent for a long time. Then he pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose loudly. 

“Philippa’s not bad for a girl, either,” he pointed out, voice rough. 

Mack laughed loudly and hugged him again.

**

Skye sipped her coffee slowly, her eyes glued to FitzSimmons across the kitchen. They were quiet, and giving each other an unusual amount of room as they prepared their breakfasts. So, things were _still_ unsettled between them. And, of course, Jemma had sworn her and Bobbi to secrecy, including not letting Fitz know she told them, so she couldn’t even _try_ to meddle.

She watched as Fitz pulled out a container of tea, then immediately put it back and grabbed a different kind instead, one Skye knew was caffeine-free. He handed it to Jemma without a word or even looking in her direction. The tiny smile on her face at the gesture was pretty adorable though, and the way she accidentally-on-purpose brushed her hand against his as she reached for the kettle was even more so. Skye smiled into her mug. Maybe she wouldn’t have to meddle.

And then she sighed, wondering if the team was ready to handle two babies again. Or worse…two toddlers.

**

_Do you know if something’s wrong with mom?_ James typed quickly, not bothering to watch where he was walking.

_> No, why?_

_She and dad have been super weird with each other the last week or 2, and I think she might have seen the dr_

_> OMG you mean you think there’s something WRONG with her?_

_That’s what I’m asking you!_

_> Find out and report back!_

_How am I supposed to find out?_

_> JUST DO IT_

James rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. He didn’t know why he thought Toni would have any insight that he didn’t but it had been worth a try. He barely ever saw Mack, after all, even though she was living at the base again. She was too busy making babies with her senior citizen. 

He also didn’t know why they couldn’t figure out a better entrance to the Playground. He understood the whole point was to keep it a secret, but that didn’t mean he loved walking all the way from where the school bus dropped him off. 

OK, mostly he was just feeling a bit peeved because Tanvi had eaten lunch with _Shawn Willis_ that day, of all people. So he was the football captain and top of the class and well over six feet tall and had really good hair and looked like he had to shave every day. So what? James had…written a book…using a pseudonym. 

“Ugh,” he groaned, kicking futilely at the ground as he walked.

But he was finally home and he tried not to think about it anymore. James turned down the nondescript alley and pressed his hand to the wall until the concrete shifted and a number pad appeared. He entered the code and then hoisted his backpack higher on his shoulders as he waited for the door to slide open. 

And that was when someone grabbed him. James’ shout wasn’t quick enough and instead he slobbered all over the guy’s hand. 

“For someone who grew up with a bunch of spies, you’re not very good at paying attention to your surroundings.”

James breathed harshly through his nose, eyes wide and darting around. He struggled against the guy’s hold to no avail. 

“Let’s go say hello to Mom and Dad and Auntie Skye, shall we?”

**

May was running a bit late, and she picked up her speed when she heard the freight elevator start to descend from the alley entrance. It was tradition, whenever she was in town, to meet James after school and talk about his day over milk and cookies. By the time he started school, May had surrendered to her inevitable retirement even if she hadn’t moved out of the Playground for several more years after that. She was bored, and he was an odd little kid too young to be of interest to his sisters and too often underfoot with everyone else, and it was kind of their thing.

Her brow furrowed when the grated door lowered into sight to reveal two sets of legs. He knew better than to bring a friend here, and there wasn’t anyone else out except for Hunter and his pilot, who obviously would not be coming back this way. As the elevator lowered the rest of the way, though, May froze. James spotted her through the doors as they started to open, and his expression was a strange mix of fear and bravery that reminded her so much of his father. 

_He_ looked up then and smiled far too widely. He removed his hand from James’ mouth, dropping it to his shoulder with a slap. 

“May! Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Sorry, my fault,” James said, wincing a bit when Ward squeezed his shoulder tighter. “Should have learned kung fu like you said.”

May’s scream was savage as she broke into a sprint. She was only a few feet away when Ward pushed James aside. He landed on the ground with a thump and a groan, and Ward dropped to his knees, arms clasped behind his head in surrender. May skidded to a confused and suspicious halt.

“Do you really think I would come in here, unarmed, by myself, intending to start a fight?” Ward asked condescendingly.

May kicked him in the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to real life obligations, I will be going on a hiatus for at least one week. This seemed like a good cliffhanger!


	13. Chapter 13

Mack felt terror grip her heart as sirens started sounding through the Playground. Lance was the only one on an active mission that afternoon, and that sound meant something had gone wrong. She pushed her chair away from her new desk in the lab and ran out of the room, looking desperately around for some sort of sign of what was happening. People were streaming in different directions, all heading to their primary work stations to await further instructions. Mack shook her head in frustration and turned towards Skye’s office. She’d find answers there, if nowhere else. 

As she ran around the corner, though, she nearly bumped into her parents coming from the other direction.

“Something’s happening by the alley entrance,” her dad said, holding up a beeping tablet. 

The information didn’t make her feel any better. Only one person would be using that entrance this time of day. Her parents were already running again, and Mack took off after them. 

When they arrived, all she could see were a couple security agents locking multiple restraints onto a prone body. Mack looked around, exhaling in relief when she saw James sitting on the floor and May crouching in front of him, one hand on his shoulder. The men hoisted the body up, turning around to haul him away. Mack spared him a glance, didn’t recognize him and focused on her brother again. 

“Oh!” her mother cried out. She was staring at the unconscious man in horror. And then she ran again, nearly tripping as she slid to her knees in front of James. “Baby? Honey? Are you OK?” she asked, running her hands over his head and arms. “Did he hurt you?”

“Mom, I’m OK!” James said, lifting one hand to fend her off and turning a bright shade of red. 

Her dad walked over to join them then, reaching out and helping James to his feet only to pull him into a tight hug. James’ grumbling was muffled, and Mack felt a smile start to form. Finally, her dad let him go and focused on her mom instead. He bent down and wrapped an arm around her to help her stand, treating her unusually delicately. Mack raised a curious eyebrow. 

She didn’t have time to wonder too much, though, because her mom looked at her. “Go, take your brother away from here.”

Mack’s mouth dropped open. He clearly hadn’t been hurt beyond his teenage male pride, and she wasn’t about to miss out on the excitement now that her worry had passed. “I’m a part of the team now,” she protested. “I belong – ”

“ _Go, take your brother!_ ” her mom shouted. 

Mack’s eyes opened wide in shock. Her surprise only grew when her dad turned to her mom and ran a soothing hand down her arm.

“Why don’t you go too? All of you can relax a bit and – ”

“Don’t start,” her mom said, huffing.

“Jemma, please. It would make me feel a lot better.”

Her mom sighed loudly. And then she turned, tugging James by the elbow and making her way over to Mack. 

“Who is he?” Mack asked.

Her mom reached her free hand out and took Mack’s in her own, pulling her along. “Not now.”

**

Sometime later, Skye popped her head into the break room where James had milked the situation into a pizza and video games instead of homework and their mom was looking back and forth between them and pretending she wasn’t sniffling. But when Skye announced that _he_ was waking up and there’d be a meeting soon, there was nothing her mom could do to keep Mack benched. She stood up defiantly and headed towards the door.

And then she stopped, turned, rushed back to James, and kissed him on the top of his head.

“Jesus, I’m fine,” he muttered and killed another bad guy on the screen. 

Mack grinned, ruffled his hair, and then followed Skye and her mother out of the room. When she glanced back, James was watching them with a worried sort of expression, but he looked quickly away when they made eye contact. 

Surprisingly, they didn’t head towards any of the conference rooms or even one of the offices. They instead walked through a door to one of the cells and then down the stairs that hugged the wall. The force field was activated, and her dad, Coulson, Bobbi, May and Big Mack were already standing in a half-circle near the boundary. Skye led Mack and her mom the rest of the way, then reached for the tablet mounted in the center of the room. Within moments, the force field became invisible and Mack could see the other side of the cell.

Now that she got a better look at him, the man was strangely familiar, although Mack couldn’t quite place him. He stood and walked closer to the barrier. His smile was weirdly friendly, and it sent a creepy shiver down Mack’s back. 

“Hey, guys.”

“Ugh,” Skye said. Mack turned to look at her. “Why won’t you just _die_?”

He tutted. “Really, Skye? Here I come to you in good faith and – ”

“What do you want?” Mack’s mom interrupted. She didn’t think she’d ever heard her sound like that. Mack was suddenly a little afraid of her. 

The man nodded. “Right to it, then. I agree. Let’s not waste time on small talk.”

Just then, the door opened and Lance came barreling down the stairs. Mack tried to hide her relief at seeing him, and she could tell – as he came to stand right next to her – he felt the same way. Mack focused on the prisoner again and noted him look back and forth between Lance and her and her parents. A strange, gleefully amused glint came into his eye, which was quite disconcerting. He seemed to know quite too much about all of them.

“What the hell’s he doing here?” Lance asked.

“That’s what we’re waiting to find out,” Skye said. 

The man sighed, turned away and walked back to the cot. He sat down. “An associate of mine has betrayed me.”

“Want me to go get my violin?”

“He’s gone rogue, killed his team, and is closing in on something neither of us want him to have. I’m asking for your brains – ” He nodded at Mack’s parents, then looked back at Skye, “and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s resources to stop him.”

“What is he after?” Bobbi asked.

The man smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “The Holy Grail.”

**

“The _Holy Grail_ ,” Hunter repeated for something like the seventh time, still just as incredulous. “It exists?”

Jemma shrugged, feeling totally lost and still quite upset about the fact that James had been in so much danger. “Who knows?”

“No, seriously, though. King Arthur and the knights who say ni.”

“Huh? It’s the knights of the round table.”

All of them turned to stare at Mack, and then ignored her. 

“We aren’t seriously taking him at face value?” Bobbi continued.

“Of course not,” Skye replied.

“And don’t think either of us are leaving as long as he’s here,” Coulson warned, and May nodded in agreement. 

“Who is he?” Mack interrupted. 

They all looked at her again. Finally, Jemma answered her. “Grant Ward. He’s the head of Hydra.”

“Wow, Hydra. OK. And why does he seem to know all of you guys very well? Lifelong enemies exchange Christmas cards or what?”

“We’ll…talk about that later, sweetie,” Fitz said. 

Mack scowled, and Jemma knew that was going to be one awful conversation. 

“Let’s get back on track,” Skye suggested. “And pretend for a moment his story has some element of truth. The Holy Grail. Where would we even begin looking for it?”

“Alexandretta!” Hunter said, doing a poor Sean Connery impression.

Fitz snorted. “If you are Scottish lord, then I am Mickey Mouse.”

Mack’s confusion just seemed to grow. “I really have no idea what you all are talking about,” she muttered.

Hunter buried his face in his hands in despair, and Jemma shared a smirk with Bobbi and Big Mack. 

“Where did we go wrong?” Fitz asked rhetorically.

**

“You really didn’t recognize any of it?” Lance asked.

Mack looked at him, confused as to what the hell he was talking about and why it had anything to do with their current activities celebrating the success of his mission – and maybe secretly the fact that they were all safe. Clearly she wasn’t distracting him enough, so she increased her speed. Lance closed his eyes and breathed out harshly, sliding one sweaty palm across her lower back and pulling her closer. 

“The…quotes earlier,” he persisted. “You’ve never seen those movies?”

Mack stopped moving abruptly. “Do you want to talk about my cinematic knowledge or do you want to have sex?”

“Sorry. Sex. Definitely sex.”

Mack shut him up with a kiss and began moving again. Later, though, after they had finished and Mack rested comfortably half-across his body, she got curious again.

“What I want to know is why you all recognized him.”

Lance stiffened beneath her and not in the way she was used to. “If you don’t know that story, it’s not my place to tell it.”

Mack heaved a frustrated sigh.

**

“We can’t trust him.”

“I’m aware.”

Jemma rolled over and peered at Fitz through the darkness. “We can never let our guard down, Fitz. Ever.”

“We won’t,” Fitz promised.

Jemma nodded in determination. And then, damn hormones, she started to cry. Fitz made a soothing noise and pulled her close.

“He had my baby,” Jemma choked out. “He could have hurt him. He could have – ”

“I swear to you, Jemma. I will kill him before I let anything happen. All our kids are perfectly safe.”

**

“Fitz. Fitz!”

He sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding. It took him a moment to realize there was no weapon-wielding maniac in the room. And then, Jemma’s hand hooked around his elbow. He turned to her and felt his heart suddenly stop. 

She was curled up, clearly in pain.

“There’s something – I think there’s something wrong,” she groaned. 

Fitz rolled away to flip on the lamp and then returned to hunch over her. He held one hand out futilely just above her shoulder. 

“What should I do?” he asked, feeling totally helpless. 

“Dr. Turner,” Jemma replied, cutting off to grunt loudly. “Get Dr. Turner.”

Fitz tossed the sheets off himself and ran out of the room, not bothering to stop for shoes or a shirt.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some potentially upsetting scenes here but remember this is a crack fic so it's not going to get too bad. (Nowhere near the part of the story referenced by the major tag, by the way.)

_Fitz’ leg shook uncontrollably, his knee bouncing up and down as he clasped his hands in an attempt at a prayer. He leaned forward, eyes squeezed shut, trying to think, trying to figure out something, anything that would help._

_But nothing would help. He was stuck out here, useless, while Jemma and the baby struggled and Turner cut into her. He could lose one or both of them, and there was nothing he could do. Fitz sniffed loudly, then wiped at his eyes with the crook of his elbow._

_It took him perhaps a bit too long to realize someone had sat next to him. Fitz turned to look and saw Coulson, his expression calm and confident._

_“I thought you were watching the girls,” Fitz whispered._

_Coulson shook his head. “May’s got it under control. Thought you could use the company.”_

_Fitz looked straight ahead, unable to respond at first. Then he felt Coulson’s hand on his shoulder and he lost what little composure he had. His tears were hot as they pooled in his eyes and his rasping, unsteady breaths echoed through the hall._

_“Jemma’s the strongest person I have ever met,” Coulson told him softly but firmly. “And that kid’s got your DNA too, and you’re no slouch in the resilience department. I have no doubt in my mind that everything will turn out fine.”_

_“I hope so. I can’t – ”_

_Just then, there was a piercing wail of a first breath from the other room. And Fitz felt like he could breathe again too. Coulson squeezed his shoulder._

_“There, what did I say?”_

**

Dr. Turner’s face was grim as he held the probe to Jemma’s stomach. He was listening carefully and frowning slightly, and with each passing moment, Fitz knew that any chance was fading. He held Jemma’s hand in both of his, their grip tight, and he leaned down to kiss her fingers and to try to compose himself. Some part of him felt like this was his fault. He had been so against the idea, so reluctant. Surely his attitude had upset Jemma, causing her undue stress. Or maybe it was just some kind of karma.

He inhaled deeply and looked up again. Jemma’s eyes were glued to the monitor, perhaps in the hope that she would see something Dr. Turner didn’t. Every once in a while, she cringed again, sliding her legs slightly as she breathed through the pain.

Dr. Turner sighed and relaxed his arm, letting the probe rest on Jemma. He looked at them and shook his head. Fitz’ breath shuddered out, and he heard a tiny squeak from Jemma. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s still early though, so it’s possible that – it’s unlikely.”

“Now – now what?” Jemma asked. “A D&C or…”

Dr. Turner began to stand. The probe slipped and then suddenly they could all hear it. Fitz looked up as Jemma’s head whipped towards the monitor and Dr. Turner focused on the equipment again.

“There it is! It was just playing hide and seek,” Dr. Turner announced with a smile. 

Fitz’ grin was wide. He squeezed Jemma’s hand and kissed it two more times for good measure. She faced him briefly, smiling through tears, and then looked at the doctor again.

“I don’t understand. What – what is causing this pain then?”

“Well,” Dr. Turner replied, rolling back in his chair to retrieve his stethoscope off the nearby table. “Judging by where it seems to be located…” He held the diaphragm over her gut and listened for a while. “Jemma, did you forget you need lots of fiber and water?”

Jemma gaped. “What.”

Fitz couldn’t stop his laugh. “Well, I know I’ve had bathroom adventures that have felt like giving birth.”

“Shut up,” she said, not even sparing him a glance. “Are you serious?”

Dr. Turner nodded. “Stress isn’t great for the digestion.”

**

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“He’s your doctor,” Fitz said as he opened the bedroom door for Jemma. “I’m your husband. We both know you poop. Sorry if you think that means there’s no mystery between us anymore.”

Jemma rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean that. I mean that I didn’t realize what was happening. I feel dumb. We dragged him out of bed and – ”

“Jemma,” Fitz interrupted firmly. He turned to face her and placed both hands on her shoulders to hold her still. “Listen to me, I will knock his door down at three in the morning every night between now and when the baby’s born if you have even the tiniest concern – ”

Jemma didn’t even register the rest of his statement. She just stared at him, a smile growing on her face and tears pooling in her eyes. “You mean it?”

Fitz stopped talking. His brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth questioningly.

“You want to? Keep the baby?” Jemma clarified in a whisper.

Fitz breathed out and looked down at his feet. She watched him struggle for words, and then he looked back up at her. His eyes had turned shiny with tears as well. 

“It seems like one stubborn little thing, so I imagine the terrible twos will be unbearable, but they won’t last forever.”

“Oh, Fitz!” Jemma exclaimed, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. They held each other close for a moment before she pulled back again. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like – ”

“I’m sure. I think I was before, but I hadn’t admitted it yet.”

Jemma swallowed thickly. “Are we insane?”

Fitz nodded immediately. “Completely.”

Jemma laughed as she lifted one hand to wipe her eyes. Fitz ducked his head to make eye contact then, even as he wiped away the tears on her other cheek.

“I’m serious, though,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You have the slightest worry or concern, you share it so we can get it checked out. And you have to promise me – I don’t want to lose this baby but I cannot, I _cannot_ , lose you – so anything and everything Dr. Turner tells you to do – ”

“I promise.”

“You’re on leave as of right now.”

“Fine.”

“And – ”

“Fitz, don’t push it.”

He sighed, and Jemma leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose.

**

Mack tapped her foot impatiently as her parents seemed to struggle with what they wanted to tell them. She glanced over at James, who rolled his eyes back at her. Her mom kept asking if Toni could hear them, a question which was starting to drive them all crazy considering how strong the hologram connection was.

“So,” her dad began. “We have a couple things to tell you, actually. The first is…we owe you an explanation about Ward.”

Finally! Mack had only been waiting for this for…OK, fewer than 24 hours. Still. 

Her mom spoke then, soft and hesitant and looking at her dad all gooey-eyed as she lifted her hand to his arm. “You know that Dad has, um, trouble sometimes with his vocabulary and his hand and other things.”

“Yeah,” James agreed. “Minor brain damage from an accident, you always said. But he’s so much better now even than when we were kids. What does that have to with Mr. Hydra?”

And then Mack remembered, and the air rushed out of her. “You said…you told me, back then, that he nearly drowned. Dad…?”

Her dad looked down, crossing his arms over his chest. When he finally spoke, his voice low, she could barely hear him but at the same time every word seemed to ring out clearly. 

“It wasn’t minor and it wasn’t an…ack-accident. Ward was – we thought he was one of us, a member of our team. He had been on the Bus with us and Pops and May and Skye since the unit formed. And when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, he tried to k-kill Mom and me.”

Mack stared, wide-eyed and confused. But her dad seemed to be at a loss and couldn’t continue the explanation. He turned to her mom; she inhaled and licked her lips, then looked at them again. She seemed to steel herself, and the next bit came out in a rush. 

“We were locked in a pod, and he ejected it into the ocean. We sank and had to rig an explosion to open it. There was only enough oxygen for one breath, so Dad told me he had feelings for me for the first time and made me take it.”

“And Mom dragged me all the way up to the surface.”

Mack looked to her dad again, but he only had eyes for her mom. He stared at her, the expression on his face full of love. She remembered how awkward and angry and scared and heartbroken they had both been with each other back then, shortly after it had all happened, and things finally started to make sense. She didn’t know how they had ever managed to work their way back from that, but she also couldn’t imagine them ever not being able to find a way. They were inevitable.

There was a long silence and then a sniff from Toni. Mack looked over to her sister’s projection and gave her an encouraging smile. On the far side of the room, James finally spoke, his voice raw even as he tried to joke.

“So…that story’s obviously going in my next book.”

Her mom laughed and lifted a hand to wipe at her tears. “So, yes. We all know Ward very well. The fight between our S.H.I.E.L.D. and his Hydra has been very personal over the years.”

“How come you never told us?” Toni asked.

“Oh, sweetheart, what would we have said? What would it have accomplished besides scaring and upsetting you? It was in the past, and Dad has recovered remarkably well.”

“Still,” Toni grumbled. 

“So, that’s when you started dating?”

Mack glanced at James, then back at her parents. She pressed her lips together. She wasn’t going to reveal any more gossip; that was their right.

“Ye – es,” her mom hedged. “We had some delays and problems, some misunderstandings like...” She glanced at Mack and gave her a tiny smile. “Silly jealousy and – ”

“Pregnancy,” Mack suggested.

“A completely planned pregnancy,” her mom continued, still trying to sell that lie. “And after that, we had a marriage and two more wonderful children.”

“Which,” her dad spoke again, his tone giving Mack a weird sort of apprehensive feeling, “brings us to our other news.”

Movement caught Mack’s attention and she stared, speechless, at her mom lightly resting one hand over her lower belly. _What?_

**

_“What?!”_

“ _I know!_ ” Mack replied.

After a few moments of gawking at her, Lance fell back onto the bed laughing loudly. It took him several minutes before he even began to calm down. Eventually, still highly amused, he observed, “Well, at least I won’t be the only geriatric at parent-teacher night.”

**

“How long have you known about this?”

Bobbi shrugged, doing her best not to start laughing at Mack’s expression. He looked completely gobsmacked, and justifiably so. “Couple weeks, maybe.”

“And you didn’t tell me?!”

“Hey, Jemma promised me to secrecy. It’s not my fault your half of FitzSimmons didn’t confide.”

Mack just shook his head. “There must be something in the water.”

Bobbi barked a laugh. “God, I hope not or I’m going to have to walk around dehydrated until it passes.”

“You never wanted kids?” he asked, tilting his head curiously.

“I don’t know, not really. I love being an aunt, though,” she replied. After a moment, she tried not to blush as she forced herself to continue. “I do kind of miss the…you know, the act that would lead to kids. Haven’t had that in a while.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly, avoiding her eyes. 

Bobbi sighed.

**

Skye nodded exaggeratedly to indicate she was serious about what she had just been allowed to share with Coulson and May.

But then it was Skye’s turn to stare in shock as May almost fell out of her chair she was laughing so hard. Skye looked over to Coulson.

“It’s so creepy when she does that.”

**

Loud whistles and applause accompanied Fitz as he walked into the break room and took a seat next to Coulson.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.”

“Unbelievable, mate. _Literally_ unbelievable.”

“We really should plan a Vegas trip if you’re going to be beating those kinds of odds, Turbo.”

“Can we talk about something else, please? Like what we’re going to do about the crazy uncle no one actually invited to dinner?”

**

“Are you sure about this?” Fitz asked Skye quietly.

They both were leaning against the wall just by the door to the cell, ignoring the people walking past as they talked. Skye sighed and glanced away.

“No,” she admitted. “But we know from experience he won’t help if he’s kept down there. If this Holy Grail thing is real and Ward is telling the truth, then we need to at least pretend to work with him so we can get to it before anyone else. Are you sure those will work?”

Fitz sent her a condescending look in reply. 

“Fair enough. You want me to go down there with you?”

“Nah, just send a guard down in a few minutes to collect him. 

“Sure thing, Fitz.”

With that, Fitz opened the cell door and began the quick descent down the stairs. When he reached the tablet, he hit a few buttons to make the force field transparent. Ward gave him a distrustful look, then stepped over.

“Hello, Fitz.”

Fitz pressed another button and a small window opened in the force field, just wide enough for one arm.

“Put your hand out.”

Ward didn’t reply or move. Fitz sighed loudly.

“Do you want out of that cell or not?”

And then Ward put his hand through the opening. Fitz crouched to put one of the shackles on the floor and then began to strap the other onto Ward’s wrist.

“You might recognize this design from when we blocked Skye from using computers. It’s been improved since then.”

Ward made a small noise of inquiry, and Fitz glanced up to make eye contact before moving onto the second shackle.

“You try to tamper with or remove them, they will inject you with a fast-acting poison. You try to access any technology or information you don’t have authority to, they will inject you with a fast-acting poison. You try to go anywhere on the base you’re not allowed, they will inject you with a fast-acting poison. You make any aggressive move towards anyone, they will inject you with a fast-acting poison. You’ll be accompanied by an armed guard at all times. You make any move to escape or overpower them – ”

“Let me guess, they’ll inject me with a fast-acting poison.”

Fitz smiled dangerously and closed the last lock perhaps tighter than he needed to. Holding onto Ward’s wrist, he tugged sharply and Ward stumbled closer to the field, catching himself just before he hit the barrier. 

“You touch a hair on any of my kids’ heads again, you’re gonna wish it was something that quick and painless.”

Fitz didn’t wait for any acknowledgment. He simply turned around and headed back up the stairs, turning slightly sideways to let the armed guard pass him on his way down.


	15. Chapter 15

Hunter wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up on the guarding Ward roster, but he was definitely not happy with it. Ward was on his shoot-on-sight list on a good day. The fact that they were willing to keep him around seemed stupid, and the fact that they had rejected Hunter’s suggestion to put a muzzle on him even worse. But he wasn’t in charge anymore.

And he had to admit the prospect of finding the Holy bleeding Grail was intriguing.

Didn’t mean he wanted to listen to Ward’s smug voice all day long. 

Ward was currently leading the way into the kitchen for his breakfast – Hunter supposed they technically had to feed him, Geneva Convention and all that – but they barely made it into the room before Ward stopped unexpectedly. Hunter accidentally rammed into him, and the bracelet things beeped a proximity warning. Ward turned to glare at him.

“Careful,” he said.

Hunter shrugged unapologetically, then looked over Ward’s shoulder to see what had stopped him. Mack and James. The last two people Hunter wanted in there with just him and Ward. He didn’t know how much of a delay there was before the poison dart things were activated, after all – and Jesus, was he happy Simmons no longer wanted him dead if that’s the kind of thing her twisted mind came up with. He nodded a quick hello and then indicated the door with his head. Mack got the message immediately and stood; Hunter tried not to sigh in relief that she didn’t fight him on it. 

Instead she leaned in and pecked the corner of his lips as she walked past. Hunter smiled, breathing in to catch the scent of her shampoo and remind himself how they had conserved water that morning, and then pulled back again. 

“See you later,” Mack said. 

“Mm-hmm.”

She left then, and Hunter focused on James instead. He was taking his own sweet time cleaning up his dishes, and occasionally glancing at Ward as if he wanted to say something cocky or aggressive or otherwise stupidly fitting of a teenage boy. 

“Aren’t you going to be late for school?” Hunter asked before he could.

James worked his jaw a bit, then nodded. He was practically to the door before Ward spoke, as if he was waiting for the perfect time to needle James. 

“Don’t feel bad, kid. You would never have been able to fight me off anyway.” 

James turned, glared and opened his mouth to say something. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Hunter held one hand out.

“Just – go on now.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent of calming statements, but it was enough. James turned and stomped away. Hunter watched him for a moment, then put all his focus back on Ward. He got a smirk in reply as Ward kicked out a chair and sat down. 

“You seem to have a way with all the FitzSimmons children, don’t you? _How_ old is she?”

“Sod off.”

“Morning,” Fitz interrupted them, walking into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. He nodded a greeting at Hunter but otherwise ignored Ward. 

Bloody great. Because that’s who needed to be in here when Ward was in a harassing mood.

“Hello, Fitz,” Ward said, not taking his gaze off Hunter and grinning far too widely for Hunter’s comfort.

Fitz didn’t respond to Ward’s statement at all. Instead he simply started the kettle going and glanced over his shoulder at Hunter.

“Tea?”

Hunter hummed in assent and watched as Fitz returned to his activities. And then he narrowed his eyes at Ward, who stood up and walked over to lean against the fridge.

“I’d like some coffee, please,” Ward requested.

“I’d like to dump this kettle over your head,” Fitz shot back cheerfully. 

Ward chuckled. “You really have more of a problem with me than him?” he asked, deliberately casual. “All I did was nearly kill you. He’s screwing your daughter.”

Hunter felt his heart start to beat faster and he moved his hand closer to the sidearm at his waist. He waited, cautiously alert, to see what would happen next. Fitz had frozen at the statement, but he didn’t turn around and eventually he began to prepare the tea again.

Hunter focused on Ward again, but Ward was still watching Fitz with an incredibly obnoxious expression.

“Your sweet baby girl,” he continued. “I bet you still have your favorite picture framed somewhere, in the lab maybe, the one with her adorable messy curls.” Ward bared his teeth and pointed up at them. “And the gap where her front teeth should be… And now he’s _fucking_ her _every_ night.”

Hunter sighed and checked Fitz’ reaction. He was admirably doing his best to ignore Ward, but Hunter could see him shaking, could see the white-knuckled grip he had on the edge of the counter, could hear his breathing get heavier and harsher. Hunter glanced at Ward again and shook his head once in warning. Ward simply smiled back at him, clearly ready to go in for the kill. 

“I wonder if she calls him Daddy.”

In the next few seconds, a variety of sounds filled the room: a tea cup shattering on the floor and its contents splashing across the tile, Fitz’ yell of fury, a sharp exhalation as Ward’s back slammed into the fridge, the shackles beeping rapidly as he held his arms up in placating surrender, and Hunter’s own shout as he pulled Fitz away.

Fitz struggled against Hunter’s arm, shaking him off and twisting away. “Don’t touch me,” he ordered, as he left the room. Hunter sighed and shot Ward a look of extreme annoyance. Ward just shrugged innocently back at him. 

Bloody hell, Hunter wanted to shoot him.

**

“Wherever we find it, we can only assume it’s not going to be something we can just grab. There might be guards or traps, maybe some excavating.”

Jemma nodded in agreement with Fitz’ verbal brainstorming. “We should consider the possibility that, like with Norse myth and Asgardians, the Christian beliefs are also informed by or conflated with some sort of extraterrestrial – ”

“You think Jesus is an alien?” Mack asked, somewhat skeptically. “Not sure that would go over well with some people in this country.”

“What I’m saying is that descriptions of the Holy Grail appear in other sources before it was connected to Christianity and it might ultimately be some sort of alien artifact, yes.” 

“Hmm,” Mack mused. “What I’m hearing here is that there’s probably going to be a lot of unknowns when we try to retrieve it. The field team’s going to need skill and smarts, not just strength. Probably a physicist would be useful.”

Fitz rolled his eyes at Jemma. “Yes, dear, probably. So we’ll have to find one who’s approved for field duty.”

Jemma felt torn between empathy and amusement when Mack pouted in response.

**

Fitz had managed to return to a good mood after his encounter with Ward that morning. There was something truly special about being able to put his head together with both Jemma and Mack and do science. But the earlier incident had been pushed aside, not forgotten, and it reared back up when Hunter walked into the break room where Fitz was indulging in video games with Big Mack.

“Hey,” Hunter greeted him hesitantly. 

Fitz nodded his hello, unable to look directly at him. 

Hunter sat down rather stiffly. After an awkward moment of silence, he said, “She, uh, doesn’t, you know? Call me…that.”

Fitz closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply. “Just…can we never talk about this? Please?”

“ _Absolutely_.”

Fitz pretended he didn’t notice Big Mack look off to the side as he lifted his bottle of beer to his lips and mutter _Why me?_ under his breath before drinking.

**

Despite some initial progress, no further insights into the Grail’s location had been gained. With each passing day, Mack’s secret, admittedly unrealistic dream of getting to be part of the field team that went to retrieve it slipped farther and farther away. But exciting things were happening to make up for it, namely the bigger-every-day bump that had made her pants officially unwearable even with some creative modifications. Toni had come for the weekend and was equally squealy about it, but their mom just laughed at them and said to wait and see how she felt about it in a few months.

Mack wasn’t going to let her rain on her parade though, and so she and Toni took Sunday afternoon to shop for maternity wear. And they dragged James along to carry the stuff just because they liked when he pretended to grumble and he liked to be included. 

By the time they hit the fourth store, the grumbling had become real and they left James on a bench with the rest of their bags. Toni and Mack agreed that would be the last one, though, and they’d treat him to ice cream after. They were just walking out the door with three new purchases when Toni gasped and launched an arm out in front of Mack. Mack stopped immediately, feeling her heart start to race.

“What? What is it?”

“ _Look._ ”

Mack’s eyes darted around wildly, before she finally realized what was happening right in front of her.

“Oh my God.”

“He’s talking to a _girl_.”

“She’s so pretty!”

“God, you know, he has Mom’s coloring and everything, but those are totally Dad’s heart eyes.”

They watched for a moment as the girl laughed and reached out to lightly touch his arm. James jumped as if it had burned and stared at it for a moment and somehow his face got even redder. Mack couldn’t help but snicker.

“And Dad’s complete lack of chill.”

“Let’s go help,” Toni suggested.

“Yeah.” 

Toni practically ran over, with Mack following along as quickly as possible, and they both said “Hiii!” in perhaps unnecessarily friendly tones. James turned to stare at them with – OK, probably a totally reasonable amount of fear. 

“Oh, hi! You must be James’ sisters. I was just asking him why he was sitting with so many bags of maternity wear. Congratulations!”

“Oh, thanks! Yes, he really is such a gentleman, doing all the heavy lifting, isn’t he?”

The girl turned to smile at James, who had switched to staring at the ground as if he were hoping it would swallow him up, and then turned to face Mack again. “I’m Tanvi.”

“So nice to meet you,” Mack said as Toni gave her a little wave. 

“I was just saying that my brother got married a few months ago, so I’m hoping I’ll get to be an aunt soon too. James and I could, um, compare notes or something.”

“Yes!” Mack said eagerly. “You should. And actually, he’s going to be a big brother this year too, so he’ll have plenty of experience with little kids.”

Tanvi looked over at James again. “Oh, like, with that program where you work with kids? James, that’s so cool of you to do!”

“Um, no,” he muttered, still looking at his feet. “Like…an actual big brother. It’s kind of weird and gross.”

“Oh! Well, no, that’s exciting! And – and kind of sweet.”

Mack nodded meaningfully.

“Our parents are still crazy for each other,” Toni added. “Everyone in our family is _very_ romantic.”

“Oh my God,” James breathed out, turning and looking down the hall.

“The men especially,” Mack observed.

“I think we have to go now!” James practically shouted, bending down to pick up the bags. 

Mack focused on Tanvi, who was fighting a little blush of her own. “We’re going to go for ice cream, if you’d like to join us,” she offered leadingly.

“Oh, um, no, I’m sorry. I’m meeting some friends for a movie. Maybe…” Tanvi directed one last hopeful look at James, and Mack bit her lip hard. Too bad he was avoiding eye contact with everyone. “Some other time…”

“Yeah, bye, see you at school tomorrow,” he said in a rush, already starting to walk away.

Mack sighed. She and Toni said much more polite goodbyes and then hurried to catch up with him. 

“She’s adorable,” Toni observed.

“Stop.”

“Look at you blush,” Mack teased.

“Please stop.”

“You should ask her out,” Toni said.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Just – can we – ”

“Hmm, what can we do about this? What can we _do_?” Mack wondered aloud.

“Nothing.”

“We should start with a wardrobe makeover,” Toni suggested.

“ _No_.”

Mack took in his outfit, and then nodded. “No girl who looks like that is going to be seen in a public with a guy who dresses like you.”

James nearly stumbled, he stopped walking so fast. He stared down at his clothes. “Why? What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“They’re _tragic_.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve been wearing that t-shirt for the last three days.”

“It’s the weekend; who cares?”

Toni waved a hand towards his ankles. “And are you expecting high waters with those pants or…?”

“I had a growth spurt!”

Toni scoffed. “When?”

“If that jacket you wore to dinner last night were curtains,” Mack pointed out, “not even Grandma Fitz would hang them in her house.”

“Hey, no!” James turned on her, pointing at her with a shake of his head. “Lance lent me that, so…”

“Ugh, really? Well…I’m rethinking that whole thing now,” Mack replied. 

“Hey, didn’t you say something about ice cream?”

Even though he appealed directly to her stomach, Mack didn’t let him change the subject. “Let’s go, there’s a menswear store this way.”

Toni hooked a hand through James’ elbow and began to drag him in the right direction.

“May told me that when I was a baby, you dressed me up in your doll clothes and were both grounded for two weeks, so…do you really want to risk that again?”

“Come on!” Mack ordered cheerfully. “I’ll pay for everything.”

“We should probably get you condoms too. Don’t think our family can ever be too proactive about that.”

“ _Ugh_ , oh my God.”

“Really, Toni, gross. Although, you know, you’re probably right.”

“I hate you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Ward's "Daddy" line was what ultimately figured out the whole story for me. I'm so happy I finally got to put it in! 
> 
> Also: who needs a plot when you have fun family dynamics, am I right? Yeah, pacing is not this story's best feature... 
> 
> Also, also: I tease because I love. And because teasing is the only appropriate response to certain people's ideas of fashion. Just sayin'.


	16. Chapter 16

Mack blinked her eyes open and looked around the bedroom, wondering what had woken her up. And then she leaned over the edge of the bed, carefully supporting her weight, to watch Lance do push-ups.

“Whatcha doing?” she asked, fighting a smile.

“Filling out paperwork.”

Mack laughed, and lowered herself back onto her pillow. “Happy birthday.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Mack snorted, lifting a hand to rub at her eye. “You know it’s only for a while. Then I’ll go up one more digit too.”

“And we’ll be back to being only thirty – ”

“Lance?”

He sighed loudly. “What?”

“There are better ways to get your exercise.”

He was silent for a long time. And then she heard him grunt as he pulled himself off the ground and back onto the bed. 

“Let’s pretend I did that a lot smoother and faster.”

Mack licked her lips. “What else can you do smooth and fast?”

**

“Oh God.”

“We just keep getting better at that, don’t we?”

Lance chuckled, the vibrations of his chest making Mack shake in response. “We’re certainly getting enough practice in.”

Mack grinned wickedly. She had to admit she had been feeling rather insatiable lately. She used the last bit of energy in her to slide her head along the pillow and kiss his shoulder. He gave her a soft little groan in response, before starting to sit up.

“Where are you going?” Mack asked, pouting slightly.

“I have to get to work. Meeting with Skye and Bobbi.”

“OK,” Mack said with a sigh. “Come find me when you’re done.”

He leaned over and kissed her, then left the bed and walked towards the closet. “OK. Why?”

Mack bit her lip and tried not to smirk. When she didn’t verbally reply, he turned to face her questioningly. Apparently her expression was enough of an answer. 

“Again?!”

Mack shrugged innocently.

**

“Oh, will you run this back to storage for me?” Skye asked as she dismissed Bobbi and Hunter. She held up a small, sealed envelope.

He hesitated, hoping she didn’t mean him, but she was looking directly at him so… “Me?”

“Yeah, do you mind?”

“Um…that woman who works there, Ju…dy?”

“Julie.”

“Yeah, I don’t think she likes me very much. I don’t know why! I don’t know what I’ve done – ” Hunter broke off when he noticed both Skye and Bobbi chortling. “What?”

“You didn’t do anything to her,” Bobbi reassured him.

“It’s about what you do to Mack,” Skye explained. “Julie’s been kind of, you know, into her for ages.”

Hunter paused. “Oh,” he finally managed to say. “Well, that explains that then.”

Bobbi shook her head and reached out for the envelope. “I’ll take it. I have a half hour before it’s my turn to babysit Ward.”

She headed out of the office then, and Hunter hurried to catch up. “Hey Bob, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, shoot.”

“It’s, ah, it’s about pregnancy.”

Bobbi stopped walking momentarily and gave him a look. “What makes you think I know anything about pregnancy?”

Hunter darted forward as she started walking again. “I don’t know. You’ve been friends with Simmons for years and she’s pretty much always pregnant.”

“Right. So ask her or Fitz if you don’t want to ask Mack.”

Hunter shook his head vigorously, his eyes widening. “I cannot do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s…it’s about…well, what I _do_ to Mack.”

Bobbi was silent for a moment. “Ah.” And then she led him down a side hall, turned to face him, and nodded. “Ask.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. But, I mean, leave out the details if you can. Unlike you, I can remember her as a child.”

Hunter made an involuntary face of disgust and then took a deep breath. “OK, she’s, um, she’s always – she’s gagging for it, basically. And I don’t know if it’s a pregnancy thing or a 25-year-old thing but I _hope_ it’s a pregnancy thing because…I can’t keep going at this rate. Hard to admit but true. I’ll have a heart attack or something.”

She proceeded to laugh for the next full minute. Eventually Hunter sighed and looked pointedly at his watch. 

After one more amused sigh, Bobbi said, “It’s probably both. I mean, yeah, I remember Jemma has said some things along those lines, so you’ll probably get a reprieve in a few months. Really, you should enjoy it while you can, because I hear sex will be a fond memory once there’s a newborn. On the other hand, you know, she _is_ 25.”

“Oh God, what do I do?”

“Tell her you need to slow it down?”

Hunter scoffed.

Bobbi shrugged as if she knew that suggestion wouldn’t be accepted. “Then, the way I see it, you have to choose between investing in one or both Vs.”

“Vs?”

“Vibrator or Viagra.”

Hunter glared. “I would only need Viagra if I were still sleeping with y – _ow_.” 

“Anyway,” Bobbi continued, ignoring him as he rubbed petulantly at the forming bruise on his arm. “Can we never talk about this again?”

“Gladly. Seriously, though – thanks, Bob.”

“Yeah, I’m so happy I could help you try to figure out how to handle your 25-year-old partner wanting too much sex. We should all have such problems. Happy birthday, by the way.”

**

Mack grinned as she stared, somewhat dazed, up at the ceiling. Lance was on top – well, just off to the side of her, his hand skimming up and down her torso and his mouth slurping soft little kisses against her neck. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to stay like this before her body started protesting, and she was pretty sure they were past their missionary days for a while. But really, she couldn’t remember the last time they had been that predictable anyway, and Mack had done all sorts of research on pregnancy-friendly positions that she couldn’t wait to try. Ooh, maybe that afternoon they could do –

Lance groaned – not in a good way – and stopped kissing her, burying his face into the pillow next to her.

“…Lance?” Mack asked, reaching one hand toward his shoulder where it fluttered uncertainly instead of touching him. “What is it?”

She couldn’t quite hear him but what she did hear – something that sounded an awful lot like “can’t stop thinking…Bobbi” – was enough to make her blood run cold. Her eyes opened wide and prickled with sudden tears.

“What?” she whispered, trying not to sound as hurt as she felt. 

He sighed and turned to his back, lifting his hands to scrub at his face. “Bobbi. She made a stupid joke about Viagra earlier and now I can’t…” He dropped one hand to wave over his crotch and Mack looked down. Oh.

“ _Oh._ ”

“There is _nothing_ happening.”

“Nothing? At all?”

Lance shook his head and sighed. Mack felt equally disappointed and dropped her own head back to her pillow. 

“I mean…that’s OK. It hasn’t been all that long since this morning; maybe you just need more time. Besides, it’s – it’s supposed to happen to everyone, right?”

“Bloody hell,” Lance muttered.

Suddenly, rather unexpectedly, Mack felt a smile pulling at her mouth. “Do you have Viagra? Because that could be kind of fun.”

“I don’t _need_ Viagra.”

Mack tilted her head and looked down again. “Sure about that?” she asked, the laughter bubbling up.

Lance huffed and sat up, swinging his legs over and preparing to leave. 

“Hey, no, no, no,” Mack protested, turning awkwardly to wrap her hand low around his waist and pull him back down. “Come on. Don’t.”

Even when he was back on the bed, he wouldn’t make eye contact with her. Mack bit her lip and thought. Then, she propped herself on her side as best she could and slid one hand farther down. She began to stroke him slowly. 

“What can I – can I do something?”

He swallowed and looked at her, his expression closed off. 

“Is there,” she continued, “something you’ve always wanted me to do? Some fantasy or – ”

“Every fantasy I’ve had for the last quarter century has been about you,” he murmured.

Mack inhaled sharply, blinking against the emotion and feeling her lips quiver as she smiled. 

“And not just the sex ones,” he added. 

Mack laughed, dropping her head to rest briefly against his chest. Then she looked back up at him and waggled her eyebrows. “Let’s stick with the sex ones for now.”

“OK, um…” Lance hesitated, then leaned closer. He began whispering in her ear. Mack’s mouth dropped open.

“I’m not sure I can do that in this state,” she eventually said. “But I definitely want to try.”

“Really?!”

“Oh, yeah.”

Her response must have been just what he wanted to hear, because Mack noticed that her hand was starting to get a response too. She smirked and stroked a little faster. Lance sat up again, pulling her up as well and kissing her deeply. Once they broke apart, he looked at her seriously.

“The day I can’t get it up for you is the day I want you to shoot me. Seriously, just take me out of my misery.”

**

“Um…Mom?”

Jemma looked up from her book and waved Mack into the room. “Hi sweetie. How are you?”

“Good,” she replied, but her hesitation suggested otherwise. “Can I – talk to you about something?”

“Mm-hmm.” 

Jemma closed the book and leaned over, straining a bit, to put it on her bedside table. Then she patted the mattress next to her. Mack walked over and, with a bit of effort, lowered herself onto the bed. She glanced at Jemma, then away again, then she heaved a breath and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“Mack?”

“It’s just – ” she started before pausing again. “It’s kind of…you’re the only person I can ask about this, really, but…”

Jemma fought a smile even as she felt her own queasiness start to rise. “Is it about sex?”

Mack sighed. “Can we just pretend we’re two friends and there’s absolutely nothing weird or gross about learning the details of…bedroom experiences?”

Jemma closed her eyes and nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“All right.” Mack looked forward again and inhaled deeply. She didn’t look at Jemma as she began to speak. “OK. So, my boyfriend – let’s call him Vance – and I were, um, getting intimate earlier this afternoon. And he had some problems…”

Jemma’s brow furrowed the longer Mack remained silent. She seemed to want her to be a mind-reader and just figure out what she was hinting at. Finally, though, Mack raised her hand and made a very obvious gesture and Jemma nodded in realization.

“I’m just – I mean, we worked through it and, you know, successfully completed our business, but…I probably could have handled it better. And I’m just worried it _means_ something, you know? _Does_ it happen to everyone or…?”

Jemma was pretty sure the noise she made could best be described as a _sniggle_. She lifted her hand to stifle it and block her mouth until she could get her smile under control. Then she took a deep breath.

“Well, I can’t speak for _everyone_ but… I’m going to guess you’ve never been with one person long enough to have that happen before.”

Mack sighed in annoyance and fell back against the headboard, rolling her eyes. Jemma copied the gesture.

“Oh, darling, I’m not trying to be critical; I’m just saying – yes, it happens. And it can be very awkward. As you no doubt know, there’s more to making love than sticking a penis inside a vagina – ”

“ _Mom._ ”

“Those are the _technical terms_ ; what do you want from me? Anyway. Men, no matter how generous or considerate they are, don’t always remember that, so it can be quite upsetting for them. Of course, it’s all wrapped up in cultural ideas of masculinity and whatnot, while women are unfortunately taught to just joke about and be resigned to not coming every time. And it’s very easy to worry that it’s you, that they’re not attracted to you or don’t love you anymore or something. But…the truth is, bodies are just weird and sex is incredibly, hilariously weird, and sometimes when things don’t work right, that’s when you really connect.”

“So,” Mack looked at her, a strangely vulnerable expression on her face, “you don’t think he – it’s not because he – ”

Jemma shrugged and shook her head. “Maybe he’s just tired, I don’t know. But you’ll definitely discover in a long-term relationship that sometimes he won’t be able to…rise to the occasion. And sometimes you won’t be rarin’ to go either, which you’ll learn especially when you experience the joys of middle age. Sometimes you’ll both be tired or not in the mood or too pissed even for fight sex or make-up sex. And sometimes only one of you will want to or have the energy, and the other one will just be like ‘yeah, OK, do what you have to’ whether that’s masturbation or porn or, ah, lending a hand or mouth, or even, as the saying goes, faking it till you make it.” Jemma glanced down at Mack, who was now leaning her head against Jemma’s shoulder, and her lips curled wickedly as she continued. “One thing your dad and I do – ”

Mack sat up as quickly as she could and held her hands to her ears. “LalalalaLALA _LA_.”

“So much for pretending to be gossipy girlfriends,” Jemma said, laughing. “And that was for making me talk so long about your sexcapades with Hunter.”

Mack shuddered dramatically. Still laughing, Jemma wrapped her arm around Mack’s shoulder and pulled her back into a cuddle. 

“Seriously, is everything OK otherwise?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Mack said, nodding, a little smile on her face revealing even more. And then her brow furrowed. “But, oh hey, as long as we’re on the subject of older men and bodily functions…I’m kind of worried there’s something wrong with him.”

“Like what?” Jemma asked, concerned. 

“He goes to the bathroom at least twice a night.”

Jemma burst into laughter.

“More than me!” Mack continued, starting to smile a bit herself as she apparently realized from Jemma’s reaction that it wasn’t something to really worry about. “And I’m _pregnant_.”

“Let me guess,” Jemma choked out around her giggles. “It’s not just in and out either. He has to stand there for five minutes trying to coax it out.”

“I’ve heard him talking to it!”

Jemma had tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard. And things just got worse when Fitz walked into the room, followed by Hunter. They both stopped and stared at her and Mack as they rocked back and forth and practically shrieked with laughter. Jemma had just started to calm down when Hunter said “I don’t think we even want to know, mate,” and that simply set her off again.

“Oh my God,” Mack wheezed. “I just peed my pants a little.”

Jemma buried her face in her hands, her whole body shaking uncontrollably as she laughed.


	17. Chapter 17

Skye sighed. “Well, OK. Thanks, Fitz.”

He shrugged, not feeling like his near total lack of information on the Grail was worth a thank you. They were certain there’d be protective barriers, but didn’t know what they’d be or how to get past them. And it would no doubt be helpful to have some idea of how it actually worked – or really, if it even did – and what specifically it was made of or anything about its properties _at all_ before they go and just grab it. From a location they were still trying to pin down. 

“Yeah,” he acknowledged. “Mack and Kenzie and I’ll try to get more for you as soon as we can, and Jemma keeps insisting on chipping in with reading. There’s so much lore out there, it’s hard to filter out any sort of good evidence. And I’m still not convinced Ward is telling us everything.”

“Oh, me neither. But – ”

Skye’s statement was interrupted by the buzz of Fitz’ phone. He never turned it off these days, wanting to maintain a line of communication constantly open between Jemma and him. Even if all he received were bored texts from her complaining about his jailer-like tendencies. This message wasn’t that though. This message made him clear his throat and shift in his seat. 

_I have an itch. Come scratch it._

Fitz tilted his head towards the door. “I’ve gotta – Jemma needs me.”

“Everything OK?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. She just…you know...”

“Is pregnant?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Fitz didn’t wait for any sort of response to that, choosing instead to hurry out of Skye’s office and pick his pace up even more once he entered the hall. He made it to his and Jemma’s suite in record time. With a perfunctory knock, he pushed the door open, already starting to unbutton his shirt.

“This is my favorite part of pregnancy,” he observed. Then he stopped in his tracks. 

Jemma was sitting up on the bed, a vexed expression on her face as she twisted one arm towards her back and then the other. 

“Oh thank God you’re here. It’s right between my shoulder blades and I can’t – ”

Fitz stifled a sigh and rubbed quickly at his eyebrow. 

“Yeah, OK.”

He walked over to the bed, then carefully rested one knee on it. Leaning towards Jemma, he moved a hand out, aiming for the place she was trying to reach. She suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him into a kiss. He floundered for a bit, just barely catching his balance before he crashed into her. After that, he deepened the kiss, moaning slightly.

Jemma pulled away and gave him a coy smirk. “Your face was priceless.”

“Um…?”

“Amazing how your R-and-R orders get conveniently forgotten when sex is on the line, hmm?”

Fitz narrowed his eyes. “Is this a devious ploy to get back into the lab?”

“No,” Jemma said, tossing her head back and laughing. “It’s a devious ploy to get you back in my bed.”

Fitz tutted at her, shaking his head. He leaned closer and closer to her as he continued, “Trying to trick your husband. Should punish you for that.”

“Mm, yes, please,” she breathed out. Their mouths met then, the kiss heating up immediately and ending almost as quickly when she pushed hard on his shoulder. “I think you should give me quite the tongue lashing.”

Fitz bit his lip to stop his smile, and he crawled backwards down the mattress. Halfway there, he stopped and looked up in concern.

“Are you OK like this? You want to get into a better position?”

Jemma shook her head. “I’ve spent the last fifteen minutes figuring out this pillow configuration.”

Fitz leaned to the side to look around her. “An engineering marvel.”

“Thank you. I learned from the best.”

Fitz smirked and continued down his path. He stretched out on the bed as best as he could, even though his legs hung off the edge slightly. And then he breathed out slowly, slid Jemma’s knickers off even slower, and grinned as he listened to her sigh and watched her settle onto the pillows. He scooched closer, lifting one hand to cup around her and tilting his head to get a good angle despite the growing bump of her belly. Then he began to whisper. 

“Fitz?” Jemma asked after a moment. “Whatcha doing?”

“I’m catching up with my kid. You get 24/7 bonding time, so don’t interrupt mine.”

“I’d be happy to share some of the ‘bonding’ time, believe me.”

Fitz lifted his hand to run it soothingly over her wrist. “I know. Now shh,” he ordered before starting to whisper again.

Jemma laughed. “You know the moppet probably can’t hear that yet, right?”

“I have a direct line here, Jemma,” Fitz replied. “This thing’s practically an echo cham…”

Fitz closed his eyes and tried not to wince. It was a terrifyingly long moment before Jemma responded.

“Ex _cuse_ me?”

“Nothing. I said nothing.”

“Are you calling my _thing_ wide and stretched out?” 

Fitz lifted his head and looked up at her. At her less-than-pleased expression, he tried to come up with something to say, but his mouth just opened and closed uselessly.

“Stop trying to salvage that,” she said, the barest hint of a laugh hiding under her tone. “And do something productive with your mouth.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Fitz obeyed quickly and happily.

**

“We might be able to find out the sex,” Mack informed Lance. “Do you want to?”

She felt strangely breathless. As excited as she was to see the ultrasound, she was also nervous. But she got some comfort from the fact that she was clearly not alone in that. Lance looked a bit like he was going to puke. He kept fidgeting in the chair next to her, half-standing to straighten out his pants, reaching out for her hand, clearing his throat. At least he was sitting though. She had forced him into the chair after he paced three circles around the room and then stopped to poke at some equipment that he, of course, almost immediately knocked to the floor with a loud clatter. 

“What’s taking him so long?” he muttered, his eyes glued to the door.

“Lance?”

He focused on her, smiling attentively.

“Do you want to learn the sex?”

He seemed to go unnaturally still. “Do you?”

Mack shrugged. “I don’t really care. It might be fun to be surprised.”

“OK, then let’s be surprised.”

Mack smiled and nodded, but before she could say anything else, Dr. Turner walked into the room. She focused on him instead, forcing the butterflies in her stomach to calm. 

“Hello Mack,” he said. “Let’s see if we can’t get a good look at this baby, shall we?”

**

Neither one of them had said anything since they left the exam room, walked back to their room, and climbed onto the bed. Mack sat, leaning against several pillows and looking straight ahead with unfocused eyes, while Lance stretched out. He had his feet crossed at the ankle and his arms wrapped protectively over his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Wow,” he muttered.

Mack nodded, and swallowed around a lump of emotion. “That was…a baby. We’re definitely having a baby.”

“Did you see its little hands?”

“You know they can’t fully hold their heads up for, like, months, right?”

“Bloody hell,” Lance breathed out, lifting his hands to slide them through his hair. “I don’t know anything about kids. I’ve been trying to read that book you got me but between S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.T.R.I.K.E. and Ward duty, not to mention being there for you as much as possible…”

“I – I can remember when James was little, some things anyway, but I was just a kid. He wasn’t my responsibility; I just played with him. This one’s going to be completely dependent on us, on me and…”

“The only baby I’ve ever been around was _you_. And my apparently brilliant subconscious was so freaked out by everything, I barely acknowledged you.”

Mack burst into laughter that just skirted the edge of hysteria.

**

“Mack.”

Mack moaned as the harsh whisper cut through her sleep. Flopping one hand out behind her, she tried to nonverbally tell Lance to leave her alone via a well-placed thwack. It didn’t do the trick.

“ _Mack_.”

“What?” she whined.

“I think you should go back and get me. A younger me.”

Mack was silent for a long time, her brow furrowing at his statement. Then she lifted one hand and pinched her opposite arm to make sure she was awake.

“ _What?_ ”

“Sometime in the past.”

She pushed herself up with a groan, then leaned over to flick on the lamp. After rubbing her hands over her face to wake herself up more, she stared at him, trying to convey exactly how crazy he sounded, even for – good grief – 2:45 in the morning. 

“What are you talking about?”

The dim lamplight cast shadows across Lance’s face, making his expression appear even more haunted than the emotion in his eyes suggested. 

“What kind of father am I going to be? Or partner for you? I’m in decent shape now but for how long? I won’t be able to…play catch or whatever dads are supposed to do.”

Mack tried very hard not to laugh. He was so earnest and it made her love him even more. She lifted a hand to his cheek and leaned in to kiss him.

“That’s what Toni’s for,” she muttered against his lips.

“Huh?”

“Toni. She played softball all through school. The only one of us with any ability to play team sports. Or interest in doing so.”

He shook his head. “Stop being – that was an example. You know what I mean. I want to be able to live a full life with you and our child and I won’t be able to.”

“Being youthful or energetic doesn’t matter. What matters is loving and supporting each other, being there for the kid as much, as often, and as long as possible.”

“Yeah, but that might not be very long.”

“Lance, it could be 30 years or more before you die.”

“It could be less. I could die tomorrow.”

“So could I! S.H.I.E.L.D. agents aren’t exactly known for their long lifespans. Which you should know since that’s why we met in the first place.”

“And that’s also how we know that time travel works. That’s also how we know that if you go back to any year after that, I’d still love you and be willing to come back with you.”

Mack sighed. She sat up straighter, taking a moment to rub her stomach. She smiled when Lance, apparently unconsciously, copied her action and left his hand somewhere above the baby. 

“It’s stupid and it’s reckless. Do you want me to list the reasons why? First, we don’t know what it would do to the baby.”

“So, we’ll wait until after you give birth,” he argued, undeterred.

Mack tried not to roll her eyes, then added, “Don’t you remember why I had to leave? The universe will destroy itself, Lance. Two versions of the same person cannot coexist.”

He was silent for a long time, not making eye contact. “Then…when you get back with, with me, then I’ll…just, I’ll – ”

“Stop talking. Do not even think anything like that again. I won’t let you do anything of the sort; are you crazy? And I won’t take away all the lives you saved, all the good you did over these last 25 years. What about all the people you helped? All the times you played a role in saving the world? Is all that worth giving up just to – ”

“To have more time with you? Too right it is.”

Mack nearly tore her hair out. “It doesn’t make any sense, Lance! I’m not even sure of the logic of what you’re suggesting. If I get you in the past and bring you forward, then you won’t be in London when I get back and we won’t get together and there won’t even be a baby and – ”

“Time travel doesn’t need logic, I’m pretty sure.” 

“Ugh,” Mack growled, falling back against the headboard. She wanted to cry in frustration. Then she forced herself up again, leaning closer to place her hands on him, one gripping his arm and the other sliding along his neck up to his face. “None of that matters, anyway. Yes, I fell for you then and some part of me wished I could have stayed and grown older with you and we could have had a whole life together. But whatever I felt for you then is _nothing_ compared to what I feel for you now. I love you more than I ever dreamed I could, and I want _you_ , not some random young version of you. I want the life we’re building together now.”

Lance’s breath was ragged and he wouldn’t meet her eye. After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice broken, “OK, so maybe after – after I die, you come and get me now?”

“Oh my God,” Mack nearly sobbed. 

She pushed away from him and clumsily launched herself off the bed. She walked over to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer, reaching far to the back until she felt her fingers snag what she was looking for. And then she pulled the Well out and faced Lance. He stared back at her curiously.

“When I got back, Pops himself destroyed the Well that was in evidence storage. But he didn’t seem to realize or remember there was more than one. The one Brevig used, and the one that brought me back. This one.”

Lance swallowed and nodded. “Right, so – ”

Mack didn’t wait for whatever he was going to say. Instead, she pushed off the dresser and made her way to the bedroom door. 

“Where are you – Mack, what are you doing?”

She had opened the door already, and even though she could hear as he climbed off the bed and hurried after her, the universe was on her side. Their room was right across the hall from the chute to the very large, very powerful trash compactor. Lance caught up with her just in time to watch as she sent the Well sliding down. There was a noticeable rumble throughout the base as the mystical item was crunched into pieces. Lance turned to stare at her, gaping, and Mack shrugged.

“I’m done having this conversation,” she said. 

Lance closed his eyes, shook his head and blew out through his nose. 

“I don’t know what I was thinking, agreeing to any of this,” he muttered. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into this.”

Mack exhaled sharply, in hurt and in shock. “What?”

“I can’t do this; I won’t. Better to clear out of the picture now.”

He turned and walked away. Mack felt speechless and powerless and very much like she was about to throw up.


	18. Chapter 18

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Please don’t get yourself worked up,” Fitz calmly reminded Jemma. 

“I’m not getting worked up!”

Fitz raised his eyebrows in challenge, and Jemma stopped pacing. She huffed and placed her hands on her hips. 

“I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Fitz shrugged. “He’s not. He’s freaking out. We’ve known Hunter far too long to be surprised by this; he’ll come around.”

Jemma sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t understand why he’s freaking out _now_. Did he really not understand what pregnancy meant?”

“Ultrasounds are a hell of a thing,” Fitz pointed out, smiling slightly. “I almost ran away every time.”

“Oh, you did not.”

“Want to bet?”

Jemma laughed, and Fitz congratulated himself on successfully distracting her. She pushed off the bed and walked across the room to him, turning sideways to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck. He tried not to react when she lowered her full weight onto him, and thankfully was able to pretend his groan of protest was instead one of appreciation for the kiss she gave him. 

“You’d never leave me,” she murmured against his lips.

Fitz shook his head, letting his eyes open just a crack and staring up at her as adoringly as he could manage. “You’re never getting rid of me.”

“Not even tomorrow? At our ultrasound?” Jemma asked, fighting a smile. 

“Nope,” he replied, popping the end of the word and tightening his arms around her waist. “Although I might have to hide in the lab for a bit afterward until I de-stress.”

Jemma laughed and rested her forehead against his. “Let’s learn the sex this time,” she suggested. “You know Turner wants to run every test imaginable anyway.”

“OK, if you want.”

“And then after, maybe I can be the one to de-stress you.”

Fitz grinned in anticipation. “Why wait?”

Jemma’s only response was a throaty chuckle before leaning closer to kiss him again. One of her hands traveled up to scrunch in his hair, and Fitz let out a shuddering breath before tilting up to deepen the kiss again. But that was when Jemma pulled away with a loud, angry sigh.

“I just can’t get over it! What kind of man breaks up with a pregnant woman?!”

Fitz bent forward to rest his head in the crook of Jemma’s neck.

“We’ve tried to play relationship counselor with them, and we’ve tried to break them up. Maybe this time, we just try to stay out of it and let them figure it out like the adults they’re supposed to be.”

“Mack is miserable,” Jemma argued. “We can’t just sit by and – ”

“He’ll come around,” Fitz repeated. “Trust me. He’s pathetically devoted to her.” 

Jemma didn’t respond, at least not until Fitz smiled and added, “We can recognize our own kind.” And then she kissed him again.

**

Hunter was halfway through day _four_ of Ward duty, which was exceptionally boring right now because all Ward was doing was monitoring Hydra email channels for some sort of lead and sifting through the various sources Fitz and the two Macks had compiled. And all Hunter was doing was standing around, watching Ward read and having nothing to think about but his own mess of a life.

Skye was definitely punishing him. Which, frankly, was unnecessary because it wasn’t like he wasn’t already feeling guilty. It’s not like he wanted things to end this way, or he had planned it or something. He hadn’t wanted things to end at all. He loved Mack, that hadn’t changed. He wished with everything he had that they could live happily ever after, the two of them and their baby. But that wasn’t going to be possible, and he couldn’t stomach the thought of all the other ways their relationship could end, all the ways he might leave them. 

It was better this way, he was sure of it. She’d realize it eventually too. Until then, he’d just have to put up with literally everyone on the base hating him. For God’s sake, even Ward had glared at him when he figured out what had happened. Hunter sighed, thunking his head against the wall behind him. When Grant Ward thought you were being a dick, it might be time to re-evaluate your life choices. 

There was a bit of commotion at the door and both he and Ward glanced up. Bobbi, Mack and James entered the room, all coming to a stop when they realized the room was occupied. Mack’s face turned a shade of green when she spotted Hunter and her eyes flashed with a confusing mix of emotion, and then she turned and walked away. 

Hunter pushed off the wall quickly. “Watch him,” he half-ordered, half-asked Bobbi, not bothering to wait for a response. 

Mack was surprisingly far down the hall, given how much extra weight she was hauling around these days. And she didn’t stop when he called her name. Hunter put on a burst of speed.

“Mack, wait, dammit.”

She faced him then, a steely expression doing little to hide her emotions. “What?”

Hunter slowed to a stop in front of her, breathing out slowly as he realized he had no idea what to say to her. 

“I just – I think – we need – ”

“There is no we anymore, remember?” Mack interrupted his flailing. “You wanted it that way.”

“Mack, I don’t _want_ this. But I don’t know how to make this, us, work.”

Mack’s face crumpled and her chin started trembling, and Hunter basically wanted to be struck down by one of Thor’s lightning bolts right then. He stepped closer, reaching out for her elbows and trying to offer her some sort of comfort. 

A tiny protesting noise escaped her and she stepped back. She turned away from him, raising her hand to wipe her tears.

“It’s OK,” she said, still not looking at him. “I don’t want you to feel like – maybe you’re right. Everything happened so fast and wasn’t planned and you gave up so much for me already even though we never really talked about…you know, the long term and – ” 

“Mack,” Hunter said miserably.

She shook her head, inhaling deeply as she looked at him and forced a wobbly smile. “It’s OK,” she repeated. “It’s…it’s _better_ this way.”

Hunter sighed, staring at his feet. Maybe some small part of him had hoped she’d fight him on this longer, convince him that he was wrong and should stay. While it was obvious she was still upset, she had reached some sort of understanding acceptance much earlier than he thought she would. But honestly, it didn’t matter how much they tried to talk through things; he would always be 30 years older than her. That wasn’t a problem they could just solve. 

“I’ll – I’ll stay until the baby’s born,” he promised. “And then...”

“Fine,” Mack whispered, before sucking in a shaky breath. 

She turned then, walking away without a second glance. Hunter felt frozen for a long beat, and then he turned around to head back to Ward. When he entered the room, Bobbi looked up at him and gave him a small smile. He had to admit, it was nice to feel like one damn person on this base might be willing to give him some support.

“Trouble in paradise?” Ward asked. 

The anxiety in the room ratcheted up, most notably from where James stood by the door. What he even was doing in there, Hunter had no clue, beyond the guess that he just liked to be in the know. Probably doing research for his next book or something. Honestly, he was a little too much like his sister for his own good. 

“That is the trouble with these large age differences,” Ward continued. 

“Yeah,” James interrupted. He seemed defensive but maybe, as suggested by his quick glance at Hunter, of both of them and not just Mack. And he seemed entirely like he wanted to defuse the tension threatening to spill over. It was only curiosity about how he might do that that kept Hunter from kicking him out of the room before he could continue. “I mean, you should see some of the fights I have with my girlfriend. I’m the December to her literal – ”

Hunter furrowed his brow at Bobbi, who sent back an amused-in-a-disgusted-way smirk, and then looked back at James.

“Ew,” James continued. “No. No, I can’t even joke about that.” 

He shuddered, but it was the movement behind him that caught Hunter’s eye. He couldn’t stop his laugh then, and it felt surprisingly good. 

“She’s right behind me, isn’t she?” James asked, resigned. 

His question was immediately followed by an _ow_ as May smacked the back of his head.

**

“Well?” Mack asked, barely able to control her excitement. She needed something to be happy about at the moment, and frankly, this was a win-win opportunity because either answer would make her happy.

Her mom and dad looked at each other, sharing a secret little smile, and then looked back at Mack and her siblings.

“Come on already!” Toni – well, her holographic projection – shouted. “I have to go to class!

“It’s a girl,” their mom announced, even as their dad said, “Another girl.”

“I knew it!” Toni crowed. “I just knew it.”

“We are seriously outnumbered now, Dad,” James observed with a little shake of his head.

“I know, I know.”

Mack fought a smirk. “Eh, maybe the next one will be a boy.”

“Just – no,” her mom said quickly, shaking her head in warning. “Don’t even joke about that.”

The little family meeting wrapped up shortly after that, with Toni heading off to class and her parents informing them they needed to meet with Ward and the others to discuss the most recent findings of the Grail investigation. When Mack saw James flinch at that, she decided to not – for once – insist on being part of that meeting so she could talk to her brother instead. 

“Everything OK?” she asked leadingly, once their parents left the room. 

He didn’t respond at first, pretending to be focused on putting the tablet away. Mack was utterly patient though. Well, she might have tapped her foot a little, but only because she knew that would provoke him into responding faster.

“I just…don’t like how much they have to work with him on this,” James confessed, avoiding her eyes completely. 

Mack reached out to grab his hand and tug him back onto the couch next to her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“I know. Me neither.”

“I try to be – I don’t know.” James sighed, staring straight ahead. “The funny one, or whatever. But…I’m scared all the time. About Ward and knowing what he almost did to Mom and Dad. About Mom and all the things that could go wrong with this baby. Which I’m still really grossed out about by the way, and I still don’t really know how I feel about another sibling, either. Or how to feel about you. I’m sad for you and I want to help somehow, and I feel like I should hate Lance, but I don’t, I’m sorry, even though I do want to punch him. _Gah_. I always thought, you know, I’m a writer, I’m supposed to have some sort of amazing understanding about _people_ or whatever, and I don’t. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so many emotions at the same time. I don’t think guys my age are equipped to.” 

Mack stifled the laugh attempting to escape by kissing the top of his head. 

“Sorry, kid. You had to grow up a lot these last few months, I know. I’m sorry for my part in it. And for the record, you don’t have to hate Lance. I’d prefer you didn’t.”

“Don’t _you_ hate him?”

“I…am very angry with him. Very hurt. But I’m…hopeful too. I love him too much to hate him, and I believe he loves me too, and I know he’s the type to hold a torch for a long, long time, so I think we’ll figure it out eventually.” 

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Yep, you can help me take my mind off it,” Mack suggested with a mischievous smile.

“How?” Despite his obvious desire to be helpful, his tone was completely wary. Rightfully so.

“Tell me how things are going with Tanvi?”

“Ugh, Mack,” he groaned, pulling out of her embrace and standing.

Mack couldn’t stop her laugh, but when he was almost out the door, she sobered again. 

“Hey, James.”

He faced her inquisitively. 

“Mom and the baby are fine. And whatever and wherever this Grail thing is, we’re going to figure it out soon. Then Ward will be…removed from the base and there won’t be anything to worry about after that.”

He offered her a quick smile, which she assumed was meant to be reassuring. Mack just hoped she hadn’t lied to him.

**

Well, she’d lied about one thing for sure – that the Grail was going to be figured out soon. A couple weeks later, they were closer, but still not close enough.

She wished the same could be said for Lance and Bobbi, who were _way_ too close. 

Mack had just turned the corner to see them standing near each other, talking quietly, heads tilted toward each other. By itself, it might not have even registered, but there had been too many little moments over the last few weeks. Moments where Lance aimed sarcastic expressions and pointed comments during briefings at Bobbi instead of at her. Moments where Bobbi squeezed his shoulder or arm before walking away from private conversations. Moments where Mack tried to say something, anything to him, even just something about work rather than anything personal, and he’d leave the conversation as soon as possible, only for her to see him soon after talking to his ex-wife. Mack tried not to be jealous, and definitely tried not to jump to conclusions. She didn’t think Lance would just – she knew Bobbi no longer felt – but they had always had some sort of weird, self-destructive connection, hadn’t they?

Big Mack turned the corner then, nearly ramming right into her. And then he stared at the sight in front of them too. His face closed off, but Mack knew him well, and she could see his own dismay. Then he glanced at Mack and tried to say something. 

Mack shook her head and hurried away as fast as she could.

**

“What the hell are you doing, man?”

Hunter hesitated, his fork halfway to his open mouth. He raised an eyebrow at Mack. “Eating dinner?”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

“Mate, I have no bloody clue what you’re on about.”

“Bobbi!”

Hunter’s brow furrowed and he stared at Mack for another beat. “What _about_ Bobbi?”

“I can’t believe you’re starting something up again with her instead of trying to fix things with Kenzie!”

Hunter’s fork – and unfortunately its contents – fell onto his lap before clattering onto the floor. He stared, flabbergasted, at Mack. Before he could reply, however, Mack continued to yell at him.

“I’ve seen you make so many mistakes and bad choices in your relationships over the years, but this really takes the cake. You love her; she’s carrying your child. And you’re just going to throw all that away? For another round of _how much death and destruction can we leave in our wake_ with Bobbi? When will you think with your big head instead of your little one?”

Hunter jumped to his feet, as confused as he was steaming mad. He stepped closer to Mack, pointing a finger at him. 

“Actually, _you_ don’t have a bloody clue what you’re talking about. The only reason I’m spending time with Bobbi is because she’s the only one willing to, isn’t she? She’s being a friend, helping me figure this out and make things right, unlike the rest of you. Maybe you think this whole thing with Mack is somehow simple, but it’s not, OK? I’m sorry I don’t have all the answers right now, but even I’m not stupid enough to – ”

He broke off, his chest heaving. He and Mack stared at each other for a while.

“You’re not getting back with Bobbi?” Mack asked, his voice softer but still skeptical.

“ _No._ ”

“You’re – trying to fix things with Mack?”

Hunter sighed deeply, simultaneously shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. “I don’t know if I can. Or should. But I can’t leave things like they are now.”

“Oh,” Mack said. “OK. Um…sorry.”

He began to turn away then, and Hunter groaned, lifting his hands to scrub at his face. “You know,” he said, “if you’re so damn upset about the idea of Bobbi with someone else, maybe it’s time you finally did something about it.”

Mack stared at him for a moment, and then left without another word. Hunter exhaled, turned back to the table and kicked his chair half-heartedly. 

“Jesus, what a mess,” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating! Despite the time off, it might be a while for the next update because I do have family stuff and also, ahem, I only have the next chapter written. I never let myself get down to that small of a "buffer" usually! At least I know what's coming between now and the end of the story. I just have to, you know, actually write it. 
> 
> Also, I finally got the May-December joke in! Still not sure it works quite right, but it was one of the very first ideas I had for this story and I was going to force it in there somehow, dammit. (Alas, it's definitely not as good as notapepper's idea of May's boytoy, Jace "Lone Wolf" December.)


	19. Chapter 19

It was perhaps the most uncomfortable Mack had ever felt, and that was before you added in her physical condition. She sat quietly in the passenger seat of the SUV, staring straight ahead as Bobbi drove them to breakfast. They had made this trip countless times throughout Mack’s life, and under ordinary circumstances, she’d be looking forward to a chance to hang out and catch up with her aunt while also feeding the bottomless pit that was the baby. 

These weren’t ordinary circumstances.

As angry as she was at Lance, it was somehow _this_ that was the final straw. That he had not only ruined their relationship, but also Mack’s relationship with Bobbi. That she couldn’t even sit in the same vehicle as her without wanting to cry or wishing she was anywhere else. That Bobbi had been so hesitant when she appeared in the lab and asked if she wanted to go. 

“Mack,” Bobbi interrupted her thoughts, even as she pulled the car into a parking spot and turned off the engine. “I wanted to wait until after breakfast but – there’s something – he’d kill me if he knew I was saying this, but I think we should talk about Hunter.”

The statement was rushed and breathless. Mack’s only consolation, as little as it was, was that Bobbi at least seemed to recognize how awkward and awful this was. 

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” she replied, her voice tight and high as she fought emotion. 

“I know you’re upset with him,” Bobbi continued as if Mack hadn’t spoken. “And you have every right to be, but – ” 

Mack didn’t wait around to see how that sentence would end. She reached for the door handle and pushed it open just as it was practically ripped out of her hands by someone on the other side. Mack yelped in surprise. She could hear Bobbi moving behind her, apparently unbuckling her seatbelt and – and then whoever it was leaned in through the open door.

The blast of the gunshot was deafening, and Mack’s scream felt equally loud. She jumped, certain for a moment that she had been wounded and would be dead soon, and then she realized she didn’t feel any pain. She turned and for a brief second saw nothing but the horrific view of Bobbi, pale, lifeless, collapsed against the door, and blood, bright red blood, soaking through her shirt. And then a hand gripped her arm, painfully tight, dragging her out of the car. 

Not one escape maneuver May, Bobbi and Skye ever taught her could be found in her memory banks. Even if she could remember a way to defend herself, she didn’t think she could physically manage some of the more acrobatic moves at her current cumbersome size. The fear gripped at her heart, and she went to a more primal place, to the first responses she ever had drilled into her head. Mack screamed, she kicked and she bit. 

Until everything went black.

**

“I’m signing out an SUV.”

Skye glanced up, startled as Hunter entered her office with no warning.

“Just FYI,” he added.

“Um, OK. What’s going on?”

He was practically out the door again and leaned against the frame as he turned to face her. “Bobbi and Mack have been gone too long.”

Skye’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Mack – Big Mack – said they went for breakfast.”

“O…K.”

“It’s _one_ o’clock.”

“They’re both adults, Hunter. If they want to spend a day out – ”

Hunter shook his head. “Something’s wrong. Bobbi’s not answering her phone. I mean, Mack’s not either, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I’ve sent Bob three messages and called twice. Something’s wrong.”

Skye stood up, feeling herself switch into Director Mode. 

“OK, then you stay here. I’ll send Mack.” Hunter opened his mouth to protest, and Skye held up a hand. “You’re too close to it.”

“And he isn’t?!”

“He doesn’t have the same history of recklessness you do, and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Hunter growled at her and stormed off.

“Hunter?” Skye called after him in warning.

“Yeah, OK. I’ll stay here twiddling my thumbs,” he shouted back.

**

“Bobbi, _Bobbi_ , wake up.”

Bobbi jumped, breathing in sharply and then groaning in pain. She was – she was crammed into the back of the car, and she was having trouble focusing on anything, and she felt rather shaky. Every breath sent a burst of pain through her shoulder. 

“Wha – ?”

She pushed one hand out, struggling against the person trying to grab her. Whoever it was, she wouldn’t let them take her. She needed to fight, she needed to protect – 

“Mack,” she tried to call out, only managing a breathless whisper.

“I’m here, I’m right here. Stay with me, Bobbi.”

Bobbi twisted her head to look up, relaxing ever so slightly when she realized she wasn’t in immediate danger. She smiled weakly and leaned her head to rest against Mack’s chest. But then her brow furrowed. No.

“No,” she tried to explain, shaking her head. “They took Mack. They took her.”

Mack didn’t respond; he merely bent closer, wrapping his arms around Bobbi and lifting her from the car. She couldn’t quite stop the groan at the shift.

“We’ll find her,” he promised. 

Bobbi felt herself drifting out of consciousness again. Somewhere in the back corner of her mind, she heard Mack say something into his comm unit.

**

Jemma slowly sank onto the chair behind her. Her heart pounded, sending a whooshing noise through her head, and her eyes glazed over. She was pretty sure she was experiencing something that a lay person might unscientifically call an out of body experience. She could sense what was happening around her – the shouts and the rapid beeping of the bracelets’ proximity warning as Hunter threw Ward up against the wall and Fitz pointed an ICER at him, Ward’s emphatic denials and professions of innocence, Coulson ordering Mack to return with Bobbi even as Skye began commanding the tac team that had been standing ready. She could sense it all, but she couldn’t process any of it. She couldn’t respond. She could barely even move.

Despite all the chaos, it was the soft squeeze of a hand around hers that finally snapped Jemma out of her fear. She looked to the side, her mouth opening in a plea she couldn’t quite voice. May met her eyes and held her gaze. 

“The others…” Jemma whispered. 

There was the briefest nod of a promise and then May was gone.

**

_“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this. He’s devastated, confused – ”_

_“We’re all confused, Fitz. And upset. I would like to find out if she’s…alive, at least.”_

_Fitz was about to respond when Coulson walked into the small room. Jemma switched her attention then, repositioning the baby slightly in her arms as she turned to face their boss._

_“Is it true, sir? Mack’s…gone?”_

_Coulson sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall just to the side of the door. “Her lanyard’s still in her room,” he informed them. “But there’s no sign of her anywhere in the Playground. And Skye’s scoured the footage from the cameras at all the exits; none of them caught her leaving. She just…disappeared.”_

_Jemma smiled, somewhat fondly but mostly condescendingly. “Sir, a human being cannot just disappear. It’s scientifically impossible.”_

_He didn’t respond though. Apparently lost in thought, he just stared at her. Or more accurately, at her baby. Coulson inhaled deeply, shook his head as if to clear it, and tore his eyes away._

_“Wherever she is,” he said in a strange tone, “I’m sure there_ is _an explanation. It might just take us a long, long time to learn what it is. Regardless, I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s made of pretty strong stuff.”_

**

The door to the lab opened suddenly, letting light stream in and essentially ruining Toni’s experiment. She threw her hands up in frustration.

“What the hell? Did you not see the – Lauren, what’s wrong?”

Lauren’s face was pale as she shook her head. She reached for Toni’s hand, pulling her out of her seat as soon as she had hold of it. 

“Come on, you need to come now.”

“What is – is something – someone’s hurt, aren’t they? Who? One of my parents?”

Toni knew she was babbling, but she was feeling increasingly scared and Lauren’s reticence wasn’t helping. They were halfway to the main office before Lauren finally managed to explain what little she knew. And then Toni began hyperventilating.

**

Technically, James never _needed_ to go to his locker between seventh and eighth period. But Tanvi always went to hers, and James liked being able to glance surreptitiously down the hall at her. Sometimes, when he was lucky, she made eye contact with him – probably accidentally – and actually smiled at him.

It was possible he was developing stalker tendencies…

Today, though, she didn’t look at him. Rather, she looked past him, an expression of worry and confusion growing on her face. James turned to see what it was, then felt like the floor dropped out from under him. May and two field agents, both on high alert, striding purposely towards him. James swallowed thickly and took one step closer to May just as she reached his locker.

“What’s wrong?” he breathed out.

“Not now. I’ll explain on the way.”

James threw his belongings in his locker and grabbed his jacket. He slammed the door shut and nodded to indicate he was ready. Then he glanced involuntarily back at Tanvi. Her expression had turned fearful and concerned and she mouthed something at him that James couldn’t quite make out. But then May grabbed hold of his arm and began to walk. James stumbled slightly before catching his balance and hurrying to match her pace.

**

Hunter closed the door behind him and then stared blindly at the bed he and Mack had shared until just recently. Inhaling a shaky breath, he fell back against the door and then slid to the ground, burying his face in his arms as the tears started to flow.

She had to be OK. They both had to be. And when he got her back, he’d never be apart from her or the baby again.

He had been such a fool.

**

With James safely in his room and Toni on a Quinjet back to the base and Bobbi in surgery with a very optimistic prognosis, Jemma felt comforted yet unfortunately stuck with only one thing left to worry obsessively about. Fitz was constantly moving, darting back and forth to monitor the comms from the tac team investigating what were quickly revealing themselves to be dead ends and checking in with Skye in between coming back to her and making sure she had everything she could need or want. Of course she didn’t and wouldn’t until Mack was back safe and sound but she would settle for just a moment of calm with him, holding each other and taking comfort from the contact. But she could see the terror in Fitz’ eyes and knew he wasn’t ready for that, knew he had to pretend to be busy and brave for a while longer, for himself if not for her. So Jemma sipped the tea that had been forced on her and nodded every time he asked if she was OK and waited and hoped and felt completely useless.

The sound of the lab door swinging open prompted Jemma to twist in her chair. Ward entering the room, followed closely by his guard, was the last thing she expected. Even more shocking was how he walked directly to her.

“Hey! No, what – what do you think – get away, leave her – ”

Ward walked ever closer, ignoring Fitz’ frantic commands and attempts to position himself between the two of them. Jemma was just curious enough to rest a hand on Fitz’ arm and guide him gently away. When Ward stopped just in front of her and reached down to grab her hands, she couldn’t even begin to understand what was happening. The look in his eyes was piercing in its sincerity, and Jemma’s mouth dropped open in confusion.

“I had nothing to do with this,” Ward said, and for perhaps the first time in nearly 30 years, she believed him. “But I _swear_ to you, I’ll do what I can to get her back safe.”

Tears pricked at her eyes as Jemma nodded.

**

The light in the room seeped through but she could see nothing else beyond the blindfold tied snugly over her eyes. The ropes binding her wrists chafed as she struggled against them, and her breath sounded unnaturally loud. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t alone.

“Who are you?” she demanded, trying and failing not to let on how scared she was. “What do you want?”

After a long pause, a man’s voice responded. “I want a physicist. And I want a bargaining chip. You provide both.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very graphic blood and violence in this chapter. Note the tags.

“What do we got?” Skye asked, arms crossed over her chest and eyes locked on the screen in front of her.

“I feel comfortable narrowing it down to two places,” Fitz informed her.

“Which means we split up. Not ideal.”

Fitz hummed, forcing himself to be pragmatic and smart, to treat this like any other mission. He didn’t think he was fooling anyone. “Better than taking a chance and picking the wrong one.”

“So we split up,” Skye agreed. “Bobbi’s out, although she’s refusing to admit it. Coulson will coordinate from here.”

“Mack needs to go on one team, me on the other. We’re the only ones who really know details about the possible booby traps and how to work the tech that might disable them.”

Skye sighed loudly. Fitz watched as she bit her lip and thought. The thing was he’d already worked through the math. He knew no matter how well trained S.H.I.E.L.D.’s field agents were, only their family would truly be trusted on something like this. He knew there wouldn’t be an easy way to split up those few people. May was formidable still, but she wouldn’t be enough by herself, not if Mack was too busy dealing with any traps. Skye would have to go with them. That left Hunter and him for the other team. 

With Ward.

“The more time we spend here pretending we’re not going to make this decision, the longer Kenzie’s missing,” he finally said. 

After a barely noticeable pause, Skye spoke, unable to look him in the eye. “Wait until the last possible moment before you unshackle him. And whatever you do, don’t let him escape with the Grail.”

Fitz nodded once, then left her office.

**

Bobbi was pretty sure she had pulled out a few stitches, and her torso was screaming in pain. But someone else would be screaming in pain too if he came one step closer to her with that sedative. She glared at Turner, even as she struggled with the various sensors taped to her.

“Get away from me,” she ordered, a little embarrassed by how weak and breathless she sounded. 

God, it wasn’t like she hadn’t been shot before. 

And like hell she was going to sit there counting the ceiling tiles when Kenzie was missing. Had been taken on _her_ watch, even.

If anything happened to her or the baby, Bobbi would never forgive herself. 

Just then, she twisted wrong and another shock of pain went through her shoulder all the way to her fingers. She could feel little tingles spark through her, suggesting possible nerve damage. Bobbi tried her best not to gasp or grimace. 

Honestly, she’d had worse.

She said as much when Mack walked into the exam room and watched her for a moment, one eyebrow raised in silent challenge. Then he turned away, took the syringe from Turner, and nodded a dismissal at him. The doctor seemed more than happy to leave, and as far as Bobbi was concerned, the feeling was mutual.

“Just need to bandage this up a little tighter,” she told Mack. “Then I’ll be ready to go.”

Mack walked closer, then sat on the side of her bed. He still had the syringe in his hand, and he turned it over in his fingers as he stared down at it.

“Don’t talk crazy,” he said. 

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve been shot.”

“Once! In the _shoulder_!”

“You nearly bled to death. You just got out of surgery.”

“Mack – ”

“Bobbi,” he interrupted, finally looking up at her. “You’re not going.”

Bobbi sucked in her lip so it wouldn’t tremble. “I have to. It’s my fault she’s – ”

“No one blames you.”

“I blame me.”

Mack sighed. After a moment, he spoke again. “You have two options. Calm the hell down and coordinate ops and comms with Coulson.”

“ _Or?_ ” Bobbi asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He held up the syringe.

“Try it,” she said, the threat clear if lacking in credibility. 

He shook his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the emotion shining back surprised her. He leaned forward to put the syringe on the table, but didn’t back away from her after that. Instead, he leaned even closer, lifting one hand to her neck.

“Seeing you in that SUV was…I need to be able to focus, to protect the whole team. I need you here, safe, if I have any hope of focusing. Please.”

“Mack?” she whispered.

“Please,” he repeated.

Bobbi hesitated, then exhaled slowly and gave him a small nod. “Bring her home,” she requested. 

He nodded, but didn’t drop his hand or his gaze. Bobbi felt her heart begin to thump. She wasn’t going to let one more opportunity pass her by.

“And come home to me, too.”

He pulled her closer then, until his lips connected with hers, making more than one promise for the future.

**

“Should have guessed this is where I’d find you,” Fitz observed, unable to hide his pointed tone completely.

Jemma glanced up at him before checking the bullets in her gun and placing it in the holster on her thigh. She had found some extra-large tac gear that looked almost comical stretched across her belly. Fitz sat down on the locker room bench next to her, inhaled deeply, and made eye contact with her again. 

“You didn’t really think I was going to sit this one out, did you?” she asked. “How long have you known me?”

Jemma’s tone was determined, yet defensive. Fitz sighed as he lifted his hand to rub it over his mouth and chin.

“Long enough to know I’m not going to convince you otherwise.”

“Damn right you aren’t,” Jemma confirmed, turning away from him ostensibly to close her locker, but he knew it was really to conceal her expression from him.

Fitz swallowed, closed his eyes briefly and exhaled. “Can I try?” he asked, pausing for a moment when his voice croaked. “Can I remind you about that baby needing you to keep her safe and – ”

“Mack’s my baby too!” Jemma snapped. 

They were both silent for a moment, and then Jemma sighed. She dropped onto the bench next to him and scooted closer to cling to his arm. Fitz moved, breaking free of her grip to wrap his arm around her fully. He hugged her close, feeling Jemma’s fingers dig into his side and her breath shudder against him.

“I can’t sit here by myself, waiting, wondering,” she nearly whispered. “I need to _do_ something. I’ll let you make any rules you need to. I’ll play it as safe as I possibly can. But I’m going on this mission.”

“Jemma – ”

“Besides,” Jemma interrupted. “She might be…she might need…someone with medical – ”

She couldn’t finish the statement, instead burying her face in Fitz’ neck and breaking down into sobs. He didn’t really want to think about that, about all the things that might go wrong or even had already gone wrong. His little girl, out there all alone, hoping and trusting in them to get her back. Fitz swallowed past the painful lump in his throat and hugged Jemma tighter. 

“We’re going to get her and we’re going to bring her home safe, I promise you. We’re gonna do it together.”

Jemma sobbed one more time, then squeezed him tighter as she nodded. 

“I love you, Jemma,” Fitz murmured. “And I’m so – worried.”

“Me too,” she replied softly.

Fitz sighed. He shook his head in angry denial that his brain was only coming up with one plan. “I can’t believe I’m even saying this but…”

Jemma pulled back to make eye contact, furrowing her brow as she waited.

“I want you to stay at Ward’s side the entire time.”

Jemma blinked.

“I’ll need to deal with any booby traps, Hunter will be too single-minded, and Ward wouldn’t let any danger get close enough to him to cause any damage,” Fitz explained, feeling ill. “It’s quite possibly the safest place for you to be.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then Jemma nodded. “All right,” she agreed.

Fitz wished it made him feel better.

**

They had barely made it past the first subterranean level of the ancient monastery before Fitz knew they had chosen the right destination. In a far corner of the hall, almost hidden from view, was a small entryway, recently disturbed. Fitz walked closer to inspect it, carefully reaching out to move a deactivated, archaic-looking explosive device aside. There was a message just above the door, a “1 M” hastily drawn in the dust with a finger, and Fitz smiled.

“One man,” he reported, glancing back over his shoulder.

“That’s it?” Hunter asked, skeptical. 

“One Hydra agent,” Jemma pointed out. 

“Who may or may not be immortal if he gets to the Grail before we catch up,” Ward added.

“Still,” Hunter muttered. 

Fitz ignored them, crouching slightly to look into the tunnel. It was dark and cobwebby and perhaps just tall enough for at least Jemma to walk through without bending. It was narrow, but he didn’t want to be the one to suggest she wouldn’t be able to squeeze through. He’d rather face an immortal Hydra agent by himself than her death glare at that, to be honest. 

“Looks like a tight fit,” he simply observed, avoiding her eyes. 

“We’ll have to go through one at a time, then,” she responded, her tone suggesting she knew exactly what he wasn’t saying. 

Fitz sighed, then glanced at Hunter for his assessment. 

“I’ll lead, then Ward, then Simmons, then Fitz.”

It wasn’t the greatest plan, but it’d have to do. Fitz shifted his attention to Ward then, fighting bile as Ward held up his hands and raised his eyebrows. After hesitating a moment, Fitz stepped forward and unlocked the bracelets. 

“You won’t get any weapon,” Fitz reminded him. “And this gun I’m carrying isn’t an ICER.”

**

As the jerk in front of her celebrated his evil overlord moment, holding up the Grail and laughing maniacally, Mack calculated the odds of her being able to escape the room unnoticed. They weren’t good, but neither were the odds of nothing happening to her now that he had what he wanted. She had done her best – leaving messages for the team she hoped was following her, working as slowly as she dared on each of the obstacles – but there was nothing she could do now. She could only hope that they had chosen the right place to begin their search, that they weren’t too far behind her, that – Mack felt a bolt of terror shoot through her as the man drank from the cup.

What were the odds that it really did have special, eternal-life-granting powers? And would it do anything else to him? He turned to face her and Mack braced herself for whatever came next.

What came next was commotion. Mack exhaled sharply when she realized the men who had just entered the room were Hunter and her dad. That was followed by immediate shock as her kidnapper reached out and grabbed her, pulling her in front of him as a shield. Shouted orders filled the room, neither side listening to the other, and Mack’s surprise only grew when Ward and _her mother_ stepped through the doorway next.

“Ah, perfect,” her kidnapper said, rather gleefully. “I can wrap up everything at once. Consider this my formal resignation from Hydra.”

The crack of the gunshot next to Mack was terrifyingly loud, and her scream was an instinctual response more than anything. When she saw the blood splatter on her mother’s stomach, however, she could make no sound at all. It was only when her mom lifted shaky hands and looked to the man next to her that Mack realized it wasn’t even her blood. Ward’s knees buckled and he fell to the ground, slowly reaching out to hold a hand to the spurting wound on his thigh. The look he gave Mack’s mother as she knelt next to him was confused and disbelieving.

Mack’s attention was snatched away, though, as Hunter stepped closer and again shouted at the man holding her to drop his weapon. 

“You really want to risk coming after me?” he asked mockingly. “Only one of us is immortal.”

Mack caught Hunter’s eye, trying to communicate wordlessly as best she could. He seemed to understand her, even as he seemed to reach the end of his patience.

“I’d like to test that theory,” Hunter announced, his gun going off before he even finished the sentence. 

Mack leaned to the side as far as she could, twisting out of his grip as he was knocked backward and collapsed to the ground. She turned then, feeling incredibly queasy and a bit lightheaded as she watched the blood ooze out of the hole between his eyes. Mack stumbled and started to sink to the floor.

Someone caught her, and she turned to meet her father’s worried eyes. In her peripheral vision, she saw Hunter’s boot kick the dropped gun out of the way.

“It didn’t work.”

Mack looked to Ward again. His face was pale and pained, his tone breathless, and his dismay more than apparent.

“Yeah, well,” Hunter said, lowering his weapon. “He chose bloody poorly.”

Her dad rolled his eyes, and Mack furrowed her brow, feeling like she was missing something. But none of that mattered as Hunter turned to her and fell to his knees in front of her. He pulled her into a tight hug, nearly crushing her in his desperate relief. Vaguely, Mack sensed her father move away to give them space, but the majority of her attention was on the apologies and declarations that fell in a tumble out of Hunter’s mouth. Mack breathed out, feeling herself fade out of _mission mode_.

“Lance,” she sighed, tightening her own embrace.

**

“It didn’t work,” Ward said again, this time only loud enough for Jemma to hear.

But she didn’t have time to worry about whether the Grail actually was what Hydra had believed it to be. She was focused on one task, patching Ward up enough to get him to better medical facilities. He was losing too much blood; the bullet had managed to nick his femoral artery and there wasn’t much time.

“Fitz, I need you,” Jemma ordered through gritted teeth as she tore the fabric of Ward’s sleeve for an impromptu tourniquet.

He was crouching by her side in mere moments, looking green around the gills but determined to assist. “What should I do?”

“Apply press – ”

“Nothing,” Ward interrupted. “Just leave it.”

“Ward,” Jemma objected, fighting an odd urge to roll her eyes. “Don’t be – ”

“Simmons. I’ve got a couple months, if I’m lucky. Why do you think I – ” he broke off, wincing in pain. Finally, he added, “I’m tired. I’m just…tired of all this.”

Jemma glanced at Fitz, who appeared conflicted. Eventually, he nodded. Jemma watched as Fitz repositioned himself, sliding over and propping Ward’s head on his lap to give him more support. Jemma took a deep breath, then reached out and loosened the tourniquet she had just tied. She glanced over in surprise when Ward’s hand gripped her own, his blood squelching between their palms. 

Ward made a noise somewhere between a hiss and a laugh. “You guys ever wonder how things might have been if – ”

“Sometimes,” Fitz answered quickly, almost as if he couldn’t bear to hear the question. 

It was an unexpected response; Jemma didn’t know if he meant he wondered how things might have been if there hadn’t been the brain damage or even the Pod. Where would the two of them be now? Would they have ever…? Or was there more to Fitz’ answer? Did a part of him still mourn the loss of their team, still feel the faded sting of a friend’s betrayal? She didn’t know what she felt herself, to be honest. She had never really thought it was worth speculating over. What happened happened. 

Jemma glanced over at her daughter quickly. She and Hunter still sat on the ground, and they watched the scene playing out in front of them with curious concern even as they recognized there was no room for them in it. Jemma looked away again.

“You can’t change the past,” she reminded him. 

“I know,” Ward barely whispered. “But I…”

When he didn’t conclude his statement, Jemma risked looking at his face. He was gone. She shifted her gaze to Fitz, who stared back at her with an unreadable expression.

**

Mack walked slowly down the hall, arms wrapped around herself as if she was trying to warm up even though she wasn’t cold. She paused for a moment outside Skye’s office, some sense telling her that it wasn’t empty despite the hour. Mack moved carefully, leaning over to peek through the crack of the open door. Her parents, May, Pops, and Skye all sat in a circle, quiet and most of them nursing drinks, her mother leaning against her father’s shoulder. Pops murmured something and they all laughed rather painfully, only to stop again when Skye added something else.

The moment felt far too private, and Mack backed away to leave them be. She was almost to her bunk when she heard her name. She faced Lance and fought a smile at his hopeful puppy-dog expression. Mack closed her eyes and sighed. Then she gave him a meaningful look and went into her room.

She left the door open behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I had this planned out well before the mid-season finale. So...yeah. And I actually prefer something like this to what happened to Ward in that episode. Fictional death has to mean something, and more importantly, his death has to mean something. The reason he's a good villain is because of the personal connection. There won't be the same emotional impact on the audience or the characters when the evil slug wearing his skin dies, IMO. And I wanted to include some of that emotional impact because, while I want to strongly state that I had no intention of "redeeming" him in this fic, I think his feelings for the team and their feelings for him are very complex and would cause conflicted reactions to the events here.
> 
> (And yes, the Bobbi/Mack stuff is heavily inspired by canon stuff. Deal with it.)


	21. Chapter 21

Mack inhaled deeply, feeling the stress and fear seep out of her as she relaxed in Lance’s arms. She knew they had a lot to talk about, knew that once things calmed down more, they’d still have to deal with reality, but for the moment, she was just happy to be near him.

“Did you see Dr. Turner?” Lance murmured in her ear.

Mack smiled softly and just barely nodded, not bothering to open her eyes. “Checked everything twice over, mama and baby – and grandma and aunt – are all doing just fine.”

“Good.” He breathed out shakily. “I…don’t know what I would have done. Mack, I – ”

She shushed him softly. “Not now.”

He sat up, pushing her forward, and Mack whined in protest. Partly because of the jostling and partly because she could tell he was going to force the issue.

“Yes, now. We can’t put this off because who knows when the next maniac – ”

Mack twisted to face him, struggling to control her quivering chin and the tears threatening to flood her eyes. 

“I don’t want that, Lance. I don’t want a relationship like that.” He stared at her, speechless, and Mack exhaled sharply. She tried her best to explain. “My…my parents are the best example I have for what I want my future to be like. And yes, it was chaos and fear and danger that brought them together romantically. But it’s – it’s love and friendship and open communication and quiet moments snatched from everything else around them that _keeps_ them together. I need you to want that too, if I’m going to be with you. But you ran away in fear of a family then you ran headlong for me when I had a gun to my head and – ”

“Mack – ”

“If we stay in these careers – and I think that’s what we both want – we’ll have to accept that we’ll be at risk sometimes, there will be some bad with the good. But I will _not_ send you on missions or go off on my own with some sort of cavalier joke about not dying. If that’s the kind of thing you have to hide behind, then maybe you just should go back to Bobbi.”

Whatever his response was going to be, it was promptly replaced with a frustrated exclamation of “Why does everyone think I want to go back to Bobbi?” 

“Don’t you?” Mack whispered. “You two have been – ”

“Trying to figure out how I could make things right with you.”

Mack gasped, her lips trembling as she looked at him imploringly. “Really?”

“Yes! I was a bloody idiot that night, and I regret it more than I can possibly say. And really, Mack, settling down with you into as quiet a life as possible sounds like heaven. Trust me, I have no burning desire to repeat the kind of back-and-forth squabbling, life-risking insanity my life was like back when I was with Bobbi. How could you even think that?”

“I don’t know,” Mack blurted, fighting a smile as she started to accept her fears had been unfounded. “You married her twice.”

“I married her _once_.”

Mack glanced at him quickly, then away, trying not to wince at the slip.

“Oh,” he said, sounding shocked. “Twice? Really?”

Mack shrugged.

“But just once here,” he pointed out after a pause.

Mack shrugged again, dropping her gaze. “One more time than you’ve married me,” she observed quietly.

The silence was overwhelming, and Mack finally risked a peek. He was staring at her with a soft, rather stunned smile. “Do you…want to?”

“I don’t know!” she repeated, a laugh-scream bubbling up her throat. “Maybe!”

“Well…maybe I want to marry you too.”

“Oh. OK, then.”

“OK,” Lance said firmly, concluding the conversation by pulling her into a kiss.

**

Jemma whimpered slightly and struggled to get comfortable. Between the pillows and Fitz’ body, she was situated about as well as she could reasonably expect. But she knew that had nothing to do with her insomnia.

“Are you OK?” Fitz whispered in the dark.

“No,” Jemma grumbled.

“Do you want me to get Dr. Turner?”

Jemma sighed. “No. You were there; you know he said everything’s fine.”

“He also wanted to schedule a C-section,” Fitz reminded her. 

Jemma reached out to pet Fitz comfortingly. “A planned one this time. He probably would have wanted that regardless.”

Fitz breathed in deeply. “I know, I just…it’s been a long day, and that was the last thing I needed to hear.”

Jemma smiled, trying to lighten the mood as she added, “Maybe I just should ask him to take out everything while he’s in there.”

Fitz snorted. “We’d probably still find a way.”

Jemma’s grin in response soon faded. “That’s not why I’m awake anyway,” she confessed. 

Fitz remained silent, merely inching closer to her and wrapping an arm around her. He waited for Jemma to organize her thoughts and find the words.

“I killed him.”

“You let him die. He asked you to.”

“He helped us save Mack.”

“She wouldn’t have been in danger if he hadn’t been looking for the Grail in the first place.”

“Fitz.”

“You won’t hear me judging you for it, Jemma. He made his own bed.”

She sighed, hesitating for a moment. “I’ve wanted him dead for so long. I used to think about all the different ways I could do it myself and – the thing is, I don’t know if I feel bad that he made me a killer or if I feel bad because I don’t feel worse about it.”

Fitz didn’t say anything for a moment, then he leaned closer and softly kissed her temple. “I don’t know what to say to make you feel better.”

Jemma turned her head to peer at him through the darkness. “What did you mean when you said you…when he asked…”

Fitz shrugged. “I’m not sure, really. But I wouldn’t trade our lives for anything.”

Jemma lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek. “Me neither.”

**

“I can’t believe there’s a real live Asgardian standing just a few feet from us,” Toni hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

Mack nodded, her eyes wide and her jaw slack. 

The man – Asgardian, rather – didn’t seem to notice their awe as he turned the Grail over in his hand. He hummed for a moment, then turned to face Coulson and Skye. 

“Definitely Asgardian, though it was already legend long before my time.”

“But it doesn’t make a person immortal?”

“Oh no,” he confirmed. “They were wrong about how it worked. If a human drinks from it, they can still be killed. And they technically still age, just at a much slower rate. Almost at the rate of an Asgardian. But without regular use, the effect will wear off and the person will return to normal human physiological processes. It’s more of a…temporary hold than immortality.”

Mack didn’t register anything else for a long time, save for a buzzing excitement in her brain. She glanced at Lance, who was staring back at her. They shared a thrilled look. But then, her attention was drawn back to the conversation in front of her. 

The Asgardian handed the Grail back to her mother, and Mack watched as she carefully placed it in a container. It wouldn’t be packed away for long, if Mack had anything to say about it. 

“That’s all I can tell you,” he concluded. “A dubious pleasure as always, Coulson. Miss Simmons, you look more beautiful every time I see you.”

Mack felt a little confused, but mostly just smirked as her dad muttered “ _Doctor Fitz_ Simmons” under his breath.

**

“James. James!”

James turned quickly, trying not to trip or get wrapped up in the ridiculous robe. He made it through the entire ceremony, including the dreaded walk across the stage, without humiliating himself, but the day wasn’t over yet. In his preoccupation, he almost didn’t realize who had been calling his name. And then he somehow managed to blanch and flush at the same time.

“Tanvi, hi. Great, um, great speech.”

“Oh, thanks. I was really nervous.”

“You didn’t seem like it.”

Tanvi smiled widely at him, and James felt like his entire brain short-circuited. He breathed shallowly and tried to remember to blink.

“So, um, with finals and everything being so crazy, I didn’t get to ask…is everything OK? It’s just – the other week, when those people – ”

“No, uh, everything’s fine. I can’t…really talk about it, but it was just…some family stuff. But everything’s fine.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

They stared at each other for another moment, and the silence turned awkward. James desperately searched for something to say.

“I heard you were going to State next year,” Tanvi blurted nervously. 

“Um…yeah. They’ve got a good writing program.”

Tanvi hesitated. “Julie said that Eric said that he heard Mrs. X talking to your dad and that you wrote that book about spies that came out last year. Is that true?”

James struggled for a response and managed a completely eloquent _yeah_.

“That’s amazing!”

“Ah…well, I – ” James shrugged, then breathed a sigh of strange relief as someone called out Tanvi’s name. This conversation had completely thrown him. 

Tanvi looked over her shoulder, then waved quickly at the girl who had called out to her. She faced James again, her expression seeming almost as nervous as he felt. 

“Anyway, I’m going to State too, so maybe we can…do something there – together.”

James let out a little squeak and nodded rapidly. Tanvi’s grin returned, and then she started to back away. After a moment, she paused, then rushed closer to James, practically barreling into him as she pressed her lips against his. It took him a long beat, and then he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. 

The moment was utterly ruined by whoops and whistles from across the school grounds. James pulled back and glared at the S.H.I.E.L.D. cheering section. They were the absolute worst, and James wasn’t going to miss them at all next year. Not a single bit.

**

Fitz sighed, leaning back against the wall of the plane as it made its way back towards the Playground. It had been a successful mission, only slightly delayed by both his and Hunter’s objections when Skye announced she was sending them. Those objections were overruled by both expectant mothers, and while Fitz acknowledged that there was no real likelihood either of them would go into labor yet, that didn’t mean he liked being away.

At any rate, they’d be back soon, and he had already obtained Skye’s promise that he would be officially on paternity and grand-paternity leave as soon as the plane touched down. To be honest, he had started to wonder if they maybe should take it as a sign to retire, find a little house or cottage somewhere and limit their stress to just the baby. The older kids were all essentially out of the nest, after all, and – 

“Uh…guys?”

Fitz sat up quickly, opening his eyes and focusing on the comm unit. Hunter looked concerned as he leaned forward and pressed a button.

“Bob?”

“So...the baby’s on its way.”

They were both silent for a beat, then Hunter slammed his hand against the wall. “I knew it. I knew we were too close to the due date! Is Mack – ”

“Not yours,” Bobbi interrupted. 

Fitz felt dizzy for a moment and he bent forward to put his head between his knees. “It’s too early,” he mumbled.

“Not really, according to Dr. Turner,” Bobbi reassured him. “He said he almost suspected Simmons wouldn’t make it to the scheduled day. They’re prepping her for the C-section now, and she’s doing fine. Skye’s with her, and Jemma said to tell you not to worry.”

Fitz scoffed loudly, reaching his palms up to flatten them against his forehead. Hunter clapped him on the shoulder and said something about telling the pilot to go faster. He was halfway to the cockpit when Big Mack’s voice came over the line, interrupting Bobbi’s attempts to calm Fitz. 

“Mack’s in labor too,” he announced.

Hunter whirled to gape at Fitz, both hands out to his side in disbelief.

**

“Just breathe, you’re doing brilliantly.”

Mack closed her eyes as she slowly inhaled and then exhaled, wincing towards the end as another contraction hit. She opened her eyes again and looked up at May, squeezing her hand. May nodded at her and breathed with her again.

“Pops will be back here soon,” she promised on the exhale. “And the doctor he’s bringing back is just as good as Turner, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Mack smiled, then grimaced against the pain. “I’m not worried. I’d rather Dr. Turner be with mom. Besides, I’ve got you.”

May gave her a hint of a smile. “Better than nothing.”

Mack shook her head. “Don’t say that. It’s fitting, really, that it’s you. Back then, in the – in the other timeline, you were…you were my mom. You were – you are so wonderful, May. Thank you.”

May held her gaze then, and Mack was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She reached out, rested a palm against Mack’s cheek and smiled more fully than Mack had ever seen, in this timeline at least. Mack gave her a wobbly smile in return. 

Neither one could say anything else, though. They were interrupted by the door swinging open, revealing the doctor with Lance and Pops on her heels.

**

The baby fussed in Fitz’ arms, letting out the tiniest cry he ever heard before calming again.

“It’s OK, sweetheart. Just relax and let Mommy sleep for a while. She’s had a long day but it was definitely worth it.”

The baby mewled as if in reply, and Fitz smiled broadly, blinking back tears. She was the most wonderful thing. He had always thought Jemma produced some amazing babies, her genetics thankfully finding the very best of his to mix with. But this one, _this one_ was – 

The door opened slowly. Fitz glanced up, prepared to quickly dismiss whoever dared to interrupt. But then he found he couldn’t, not when it was Hunter carrying another bundle of blankets hiding a tiny little person. 

“Ready, Grandpa?” Hunter murmured. 

Fitz moved carefully, shifting his daughter to free enough room for both babies. Hunter leaned down, depositing his child slowly. 

“Meet Phillip Robert,” he announced softly. 

Fitz couldn’t respond; his throat was too tight. Eventually he glanced up at Hunter, who nodded and smiled. 

“I’ll give you a moment,” he offered, backing away and ultimately stepping out of the small room. 

Fitz took a deep breath, let it out forcefully, and looked back down again. Both babies were sleeping, him moving a tiny little fist and her pressing her lips together in a way that threatened sobs. Fitz rocked them again until both calmed. 

“I didn’t know if I could do it again,” he confessed. “I don’t know if I’ll be as good this time around. I won’t be able to…do everything I was able to 20, 30 years ago. But I promise you, I’ll be the best dad and grandpa I can be. I love you both more than you’ll ever know.”

There was no response, of course, and Fitz didn’t expect or want any. He just stared down at them in adoration. And then the moment was broken.

“They’ve already got you wrapped around their little fingers,” Jemma observed from the bed, her voice a quiet and rough whisper.

Fitz couldn’t stop the laugh as he looked up at her, then nodded in acknowledgment.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, finally! Done! (And I'm baby-ficced out, for a while. I promise there will be no reproduction in at least my next few stories.)


End file.
